SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Peterson Family Head Swimming Coach Chris Lindauer continues to build his staff with the addition of renowned swimmer Kelsi Dahlia as an associate coach. Dahlia had one of the best collegiate careers in program history at Louisville under Lindauer and Irish associate head coach Kameron Chastain and also excelled on the international stage.
“As an Olympic gold medalist and current world record holder, Kelsi immediately brings an elite level of perspective to the Notre Dame Swimming & Diving program,” said Lindauer. “However, she will be most impactful to our program because of the person she is. Kelsi brings compassion, love, and a humble heart to our program that will help teach and set an example for our student-athletes on how to pursue being an elite student-athlete in the classroom and in the pool. This is one of the most impactful hires in program history and I’m so excited to welcome Kelsi and Thomas to our Notre Dame family. Go Irish!”
“I’m very thankful to Chris and the administration at Notre Dame for the opportunity and honor of coaching at this historic university,” said Dahlia. “I’m so grateful for the lessons I’ve learned as a swimmer, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to take those experiences into this coaching role. I’m looking forward to supporting the student-athletes at the highest level, both academically and athletically. I am so excited to support the lofty goals the team sets and will fight together to accomplish!”
During her collegiate career as a Cardinal, Dahlia was a four-time national champion and finished on the podium in 10 different times at NCAA’s. At the 2015 National Championship, she set the American Record in the 100 Butterfly, breaking the 13-year old record held by Natalie Coughlin. Dahlia still holds the American Record to this day and she was the first woman to break 50 seconds in the event. She also holds the World Record in the 4×100 meter medley relay (short course) that she initially set at Duel in the Pool in 2015.
Dahlia’s first NCAA title came during her junior season in 2015 when she won the 100 and 200 butterfly. At the U.S. Nationals in 2015, she won two titles and finished on the podium three times. Just like at NCAA’s, she finished first in the 100 butterfly and was also on the winning 4×100 freestyle relay team while finishing in third in the 50 freestyle. Dahlia also won gold in the 100 butterfly and 4×100 medley relay at the 2015 Pan American Games.
In her final season with the Cardinals, Dahlia achieved the double in both the 100 and 200 butterfly at the NCAA Championships. She won both events and broke her own American record in the 100 butterfly and broke the championship record in the 200 butterfly. In the summer of 2016, Dahlia qualified for the Rio Olympic Games and was part of the 4×100 medley relay team that took home gold.
On the professional circuit, she has won gold at U.S. Nationals five different times (2 in 2017 and 2018, 1 in 2019). She has also won gold at Short Course Worlds 11 different times between the 2016 and 2018 competitions. She continued to break records in her professional career including the American record in the 100 (scm) butterfly (54.84) at the 2018 World Cup in Budapest. She also improved the World Record in 4×100 meter medley relay (3:50.40) at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Korea.
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