Chris Lindauer 2023-24 Swimming and Diving Staff

After an extensive national search, Chris Lindauer was named the Peterson Family Head Swimming Coach, University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick announced on April 21, 2022.

“After a long and thorough search, we are thrilled to welcome Chris Lindauer into the Notre Dame family,” swimming and diving administrator and Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Engagement Juli Schreiber said. “When we started this process, we knew we were seeking a coach who understood the importance of academics, who has enjoyed great coaching success, and has an innate ability to connect with student-athletes. We found that coach in Chris.

“In collaboration with Coach (Bob) Groseth and Notre Dame swimming alums Marie Labosky and Tony Fonseca, it was immediately clear to us that Chris has a passion for developing each individual not only from an athletics perspective, but also as a whole person. The experience and success he will bring to our team is phenomenal and we are excited for the future of the program.”

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In his first year in South Bend, Lindauer took the program to new heights. After a fifth-place finish for the men and an eighth-place finish for the women at the 2023 ACC Championships, 10 swimmers headed to 2023 NCAA Championships. The men took 18th place at the country’s fastest collegiate meet, the highest finish in program history. Five swimmers earned All-American status, including three in individual events. For his efforts in the backstroke events, Tommy Janton was named ACC Freshman of the Year.

Additionally, Lindauer was the team’s primary sprint coach during the season and helped develop ACC champion, NCAA finalist and school record holder Chris Guiliano. The sophomore shocked the world on several occasions during his second year, winning an ACC title in the 100 freestyle and earning a spot on Team USA for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships for the same event.

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Lindauer came to South Bend after spending the past 13 seasons with Louisville, most recently as associate head coach. During his time with the Cardinals, he coached numerous Olympians, 12 NCAA champions, a men’s ACC team title and his student-athletes tallied over 100 All-American honors. As a student-athlete at Louisville, Lindauer was an All-American and four-time BIG EAST champion.

“I’m humbled and honored to have the opportunity to be the Peterson Family Head Coach of the swimming & diving program at the University of Notre Dame,” Lindauer said. “It’s truly a dream come true, and my family and I are beyond excited to build a tradition of excellence at Notre Dame.”

In his final season with the Cardinals in 2021-22, Lindauer guided the men’s (runner-up) and women’s (third) teams to top-three finishes at the ACC Championships followed by 12th and sixth place finishes, respectively, at the NCAA Championships.

Lindauer worked with NCAA Champion Nick Albiero during his senior season at Louisville when he was named ACC Swimmer of the Year for the second-straight season and Scholar Athlete of the Year for a third-consecutive season.

Lindauer was promoted to associate head coach following a historic 2020-21 season, which was highlighted by Louisville’s first men’s swimming ACC Championship. He guided Albiero during that breakout season, as he won his first NCAA Championship in the 200 butterfly and led the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA relay championship when the men won the 200 medley relay.

Albiero earned ACC Swimmer of the Year honors and the Cards finished fifth at NCAAs. The men won seven gold medals at ACCs and produced nine All-American swims.

The women finished third at the ACC Championships and 13th at the NCAA Championship in 2020-21. In all, 31 Cardinals competed at the US Olympic Trials. Lindauer was integral in the development of sprinter Andrej Barna, who punched his ticket to the Tokyo Olympics to represent his home country of Serbia.

During the 2018-19 season, Lindauer helped the women’s team record their highest finish at the NCAA Championships in program history, finishing fourth overall with 235 points. Louisville became the first ACC program in history to have both its men’s and women’s teams finish in the top five at NCAAs in a single season as the men finished fifth. Mallory Comerford collected her third-consecutive ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year honor after winning two titles at the NCAA Championship and three ACC Championship gold medals.

Lindauer played a key role in the development of Comerford and Kelsi Worrell during their time with the Cardinals. In 2017, Comerford won five gold medals at the FINA World Championships and tied for the 2017 NCAA title in the 200 free with Katie Ledecky.

In her final season with the Cardinals, Worrell won two NCAA titles, earned the Honda Award and was named a First-Team Academic All-American. She also was named ACC Swimmer of the Year. Worrell qualified for the Rio games and won gold in the 4×100 medley relay. Worrell also won two NCAA titles at the 2015 NCAA Championships and won gold in the 100 butterfly at the 2015 U.S. National Championships.

Lindauer’s work on the Cardinals staff provided such highlights as the men’s first top ten finish at NCAAs and the first top-25 NCAA finish for the women’s squad. He also helped coach Louisville’s first national champion, first women’s NCAA A-finalist as well as Olympic swimmers in both 2008 and 2012.

As a Cardinal himself, not only did Lindauer earn All-American honors, but he was a member of the first Cardinal relay team to score at NCAAs, was a four-time BIG EAST Champion and a seven-time All-BIG EAST Conference selection. He won the 2008 Coaches Award and the 2008 Most Memorable Performance Award. His prep career included the Colorado State Championship and High School All-America Honors for Stanley Lake High School in Westminster, Colorado.

An outstanding student who earned a degree in biology in 2008, Lindauer was a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. He also served as the assistant head coach and head conditioning coach for Cardinal Aquatics, where he coached and mentored age group swimmers.

He and his wife, Beth, have three sons, Jack, Owen and Brady.