He's a coach, not an FBI agent, but Pitt swimming's Chase Kreitler sees common traits

Back in college at Cal State Bakersfield, Chase Kreitler had many conversations with his swim coach, Morgan Bailey. Mainly, they talked strokes and how best to take seconds off Kreitler’s times.

You know, swimming basics.

Then, Bailey changed professions. All of a sudden, he was working for the FBI in counter-terrorism.

Believe it or not, the talks between coach and pupil remained pertinent and productive for Kreitler, now the new coach of Pitt’s swim team.

Yes, Kreitler said, there are some common character traits between a coach and an agent in counter terrorism.

Pitt AD Heather Lyke, introducing new swim coach Chase Kreitler. pic.twitter.com/GPb8eooAr2

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) April 27, 2022

“We’ve had conversations at length about this, about (Bailey’s) ability to go undercover and talk with people and get people to trust him,” Kreitler said. “And just be genuine.”

Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke introduced Kreitler on Wednesday at a news conference at Petersen Events Center. Those traits Bailey and Kreitler discussed are precisely what Lyke and executive associate athletic director Wendy Meyers, head of the search committee, seek in a coach.

“We asked Chase, two questions,” Lyke said. “Why do you coach? And why Pitt? His answers told me what I needed to know most.

“He coaches because of the relationships he builds with his student-athletes. He described coaching as an avenue to mentorship for life.”

Added Kreitler, “There are a lot of different ways you can mentor people. It’s very unique to do it in college athletics because you get to spend 20 hours a week with the people you are mentoring.”

Professors and teachers typically get only a fraction of that time in the classroom, he explained.

“As a coach you get a lot of time,” he said. “You travel together. There is a unique bond when you’re on a mission with people to help them accomplish their dreams.

“It’s an absolute privilege to do that. I love sports that challenge you to push yourself to your absolute limit, to see what you have inside yourself.”

Kreitler has been an assistant coach at the highest level, directing future Olympians on the U.S. national team and serving during Pac-12 and national championship runs (2019 and 2022) at California. He’s been an assistant at Bakersfield, Eastern Michigan (before Lyke was AD there), LSU, Texas and Stanford.

His hiring follows a script Pitt has followed before and after Lyke led its head coaching searches — top assistants who’ve had success at other programs and have competed for championships. Fitting into that category are Pat Narduzzi (football), Mike Bell (baseball), Jeff Capel and Lance White (men’s and women’s basketball) and Keith Gavin (a national champion wrestler and two-time All-American at Pitt).

“I do tend to like coaches who have (competed) at the highest level or coached at the highest level,” she said. “Chase going into the NCAA championship and seeing what’s expected. He’s been there.

“He knows the culture. He knows the work ethic. He knows the expectations, how hard you have to train. He can relate to athletes when they go out on that stage.”

Since she was named AD at Pitt five years ago and assumed overall stewardship of 19 sports, Lyke has hired new coaches in most programs, with the exceptions of football, women’s volleyball, men’s soccer and track and field/cross country.

She said there are similar traits she seeks in every coach search.

“The reason why the job was open is because there was something you have to build and fix,” she said. “Each of the coaches we have brought in has a unique confidence and some courage. And you have to have an internal belief you can do it.”

Kreitler’s job is to rebuild a program that had previous success in the Big East, but finished ninth (men) and 11th (women) in this year’s ACC Championships.

“It is a chance for Chase to lead and change the trajectory of our swimming program,” she said.

“When I asked Chase (why he sought the Pitt job), he responded, ‘Because it’s never been done before in the ACC.’

“What it told me is he has the courage and confidence and the desire to build our swim program to compete at the top of the ACC.”