Aug. 6, 2018
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Joe Brinkman, a volunteer assistant coach at Stanford University for the past two seasons, has joined the University of Notre Dame swimming and diving coaching ranks. Brinkman will work alongside Irish head coach Mike Litzinger and his staff as an assistant coach beginning with the 2018-19 competitive season.
“I am thrilled to have Joe join us at the University of Notre Dame,” Litzinger said. “His background at Stanford, working in that intensive academic and athletic environment, and his growing skill as a coach make him a great fit for our program. It is also exciting that we are now fully staffed as a program, and can continue our march up the ACC/NCAA ranks. Joe will be a key player in Notre Dame’s movement.”
“I want to thank Mike Litzinger and his staff for welcoming me to the Notre Dame swimming and diving family,” Brinkman said. “I’m very excited to be a part of this great program and am looking forward to helping build upon its foundation of success.”
In Brinkman’s two seasons on the men’s swimming coaching staff at Stanford the Cardinal won two straight Pac-12 Conference championships, earned consecutive top 10-finishes at the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships (fifth in 2016-17, seventh in 2017-18), claimed 71 NCAA All-America accolades, boasted an individual event NCAA national champion and placed a pair of swimmers on the United States World Championship team.
During his time in Palo Alto, Brinkman also served as an assistant coach for the National Group at the PASA-Cardinal swim club for three seasons. PASA is among the top club programs in the state of California, and is recognized as a USA Swimming Gold Medal Club.
Prior to his start in coaching, Brinkman was a four-year swimming student-athlete at the University of the Cumberlands. Brinkman was elected a team captain for two seasons and graduated from the University of the Cumberlands with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He was twice nominated for the NAIA Champion of Character award and received the Mid-South Conference Champion of Character award.
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