Abby Brethauer Named Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach
8/18/2023
Princeton welcomes Abby Brethauer as its new head coach of women’s swimming and diving as announced by Ford Family Director of Athletics John Mack ‘00.
Brethauer brings two decades of coaching experience to her new role as head coach of the Tigers, most recently serving the past two seasons as assistant coach of Princeton’s men’s program.
“It is a thrill to have Abby step into the role as our next head coach of women’s swimming and diving,” said Mack. “We had a fantastic pool of candidates from around the country and Abby was the best of the bunch. She has the coaching experience, competitive fire and appreciation for the student-athlete experience that is necessary to take our program to the next level of success. The future of Princeton women’s swimming and diving is incredibly bright.”
A 13-time All-American swimmer in her own right while part of three NCAA Division III championship teams at Kenyon College, Brethauer boasts eight years of head coaching experience from a previous stint at the University of Mary Washington as well as 12 more years of experience as an associate head coach or assistant coach including a stop at Columbia in addition to her Ivy League experience gained the last two seasons at Princeton.
“I am excited to continue my career as a head coach at Princeton University and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead the women’s team,” said Brethauer. “I would like to thank John Mack, Matt Crispino and the entire Tiger family for making Princeton such a wonderful home for me these past two years. I look forward to developing outstanding young women into elite swimmers, divers, students, and people while adding the next chapter to the already storied legacy of Princeton Women’s Swimming & Diving.”
Last season, Brethauer was part of a coaching staff which guided the Princeton men’s program to a No. 24 ranking in the CSCAA Dual Meet Rankings, the first-ever season-ending Top-25 ranking for the Tigers. Princeton finished second at the Ivy League Championships for the third season in a row – and second with Brethauer on staff – in 2022-23, winning four event championships. That performance at Ivies followed a 2022 meet where Brethauer also helped Princeton to four event wins and 14 total All-Ivy honors.
Over the past two seasons, she worked with one of Princeton’s all-time greats in Raunak Khosla ‘23 who earned six All-America honors and was twice named Ivy League High Point Swimmer of the Meet under Brethauer’s tutelage.
Prior to joining the Princeton coaching staff, she served as Associate Head Coach of the men’s and women’s programs at Tufts University. She helped the Jumbos to finishes of 10th (men) and 16th (women) at the 2019 NCAA Division III Championships in her first season on staff, Brethauer helping Roger Gu (50 free) to Tufts’ first NCAA championship since 1982 and Amy Socha (200 fly) to a NESCAC title.
The following season, Brethauer coached 12 women and 10 men to NCAA qualifying marks before those championships were canceled due to COVID-19.
Prior to Tufts, Brethauer served as Head Coach at the University of Mary Washington. She was honored as Capital Athletic Conference Women’s Coach of the Year six times and Men’s Coach of the Year on four occasions. At Mary Washington she also served on the Presidential Task Force for Diversity & Inclusion and was the Athletic Department’s Community Service Coordinator from 2013-18.
Brethauer also served as the Assistant Women’s Swimming Coach at Columbia University from July 2004 until July 2010, becoming an NCAA Women’s Coaches Academy graduate in May 2009. Since 2008, Brethauer has served as a Head Coach at the Bates College Swim Camp. She was also the Assistant Swimming Coach at Hamilton College from August 2002 until May 2003.
She earned a Masters from Columbia University Teachers College in 2009 and a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s & Gender Studies from Kenyon College in 2002, where she was a four-year member of the women’s swimming & diving team. Brethauer was a 13-time All-American and a member of three NCAA Championship teams at Kenyon, where she was also a national record holder at the NCAA DIII level. A team captain her senior year, Brethauer won the John D. Rilke Sportsmanship Award in 2002, the Molly R. Hatcher Award in Women & Gender Studies in 2000 and was on the Women’s & Gender Studies Advisory Board in 2001 and 2002.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
“There is no one better suited to lead Princeton women’s swimming & diving program than Abby Brethauer. For the last two years, she has been instrumental to the success of our men’s team. Abby is a world class coach with a deep understanding of Princeton and the Ivy League. But more importantly, Abby is the right person for the job — she is compassionate, invests fully in the people she coaches, and will provide an environment for each woman to thrive in and out of the pool. I could not be more proud of Abby and honored to continue sharing the pool deck with her.”
– Matt Crispino, Princeton Men’s Swimming and Diving Head Coach
“Abby is an amazing coach, mentor, and human being. She has produced success and greatness at each and every stop of her career. Princeton’s women’s swimming and diving community is getting an outstanding leader and I cannot wait to see where Abby takes the program. Go Tigers!”
– Joe Acquaviva, Franklin & Marshall Swimming and Diving Head Coach
“I have watched Abby make tremendous strides in a short amount of time with the men’s team, and frankly throughout her career with every program she touches. I am so excited for the entire Princeton community that she will be leading and mentoring the Princeton women. She is not only a great swim coach, but an even better human being. I am proud to call her a colleague and look forward to watching the Tigers continue their storied success under her leadership!”
– Sam Pitter, Pitt Swimming and Diving Associate Head Coach
