Greg Meehan Explained

Greg Meehan
Birth Date:circa 1976
Alma Mater:Rider University
1998,2001 Graduate
Player Years1:1995-1998[1]
Player Team1:Rider University
Player Positions:backstroker
Coach Years1:1998-1999
Coach Team1:William and Mary
Asst. Coach, Interim Coach
Coach Years2:1999-2001
Coach Team2:Princeton University
Asst. Coach, Women
Coach Team3:UCLA
Asst. Coach, Women
Coach Years3:2001-2005
Coach Years4:2005-2008
Coach Team4:University of the Pacific
Men, Women's Team
Coach Years5:2008-2011
Coach Team5:University of California
Men' Asst. Coch
Coach Years6:2011-2012
Coach Team6:University of California
Men's Head Coach
Coach Years7:2012-2023
Coach Team7:Stanford University
Women's Swimming

Head Coach
Overall Record:47-4 dual meet record
Stanford Women
(As of 2017)
Championships:'13, '17, '18, '23
4 x Pac-12 Conference Champions
(Stanford Women)
2 x NCAA Championships 2017-2018
(Stanford Women)
Awards:Golden Goggle Award
('17 Coach of the Year)
Pac-12 Conference
(Coach of the Year for Women)
3 x CSCAA Swim. Coach of the Year

Greg Meehan is an American Olympic and College swimming coach, who has served as the women's head coach for the Stanford swim team since 2012, winning NCAA conference championships in 2017 and 2018. He was an Olympic Coach for the US Women's Olympic Swimming Team in 2016 and 2020.

High School swimmer

Meehan swam for Cardinal O'Hara High School under Coach Kevin Speicher in Marple Township outside Philadelphia where he performed well in the 100 backstroke and 200 and 500 freestyle events.[2] [3] In the National Catholic Championships at Villanova in February 1992, Meehan won the 500 freestyle event.[4]  

College swimmer

As a collegiate athlete, Meehan swam for Rider University, in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, excelling as a back stroker and distance freestyle. Majoring in Mathematics and Secondary Education, he was a four-time All-Academic Team Member who graduated in 1998. He had the second fastest 200 back stroke at that time, and also excelled in the 100 backstroke and the 1,000 freestyle. He swam in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Champion Relay Team.[5] Rider placed second of eight teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships from 1996-1999.[6]

Stanford University women's swim coach

From 2012-2023, he was the head coach and director for Stanford University women's swimming, where he led the team to four Pac-12 Conference championships between 2013-2023, in '13, '17, '18 and '23.

In 2017 and 2018, the Stanford women's team won back-to-back NCAA championships.

At the 2023 Pac-12 Conference Championships, held at King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington, he coached Stanford Cardinal women's swimmers to the second-largest winning margin by a team in a 27 year time period, 485 points, with a combined team score of 1725.5 points.[7] He was named the Pac-12 Conference Women's Swimming Coach of the Year for the 2022–2023 season.[8]

Prior coaching positions

He served as an associate head coach at the University of California, Berkeley (also called Cal) from 2008-2012, coaching as a head coach from 2011-2012.[9] Prior to Cal, Meehan was the men's and women's head coach at University of the Pacific from 2005-2008.[10] He was a UCLA women's assistant coach from 2001-2005, and a women's assistant coach at Princeton from 1999-2001. Prior to Princeton, he was an assistant and interim head coach at William and Mary from 1998-1999.[11]

2016 Summer Olympics coach

In 2016, Meehan was selected to be an assistant coach for the US Women's Olympic Swimming Team.[12] Meehan coached Katie Ledecky, Maya DiRado, Simone Manuel, and Lia Neal to eleven gold medals, seven silver medals, and two bronze medals.[13] [14] [15]

2020 Summer Olympics coach

In 2018, Meehan was announced as the head coach for women on the 2020 US Olympic Swim Team.[16] [17] [18] The women's team had a total of 35 members including pool and open water swimmers.[19] He had five assistant coaches as part of his coaching team for the Olympic Games, there were a total of eight assistant coaches for both men and women.[20] Under his coaching guidance, the women achieved 18 total Olympic medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan in July and August 2021, including three gold medals.[21]

For the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, Meehan was one of five assistant coaches selected to the coaching squad for pool swimmers at the Championships.[22]

Awards and honors

Notes and References

  1. At Rider in Junior Year in Jan, '97 in "Swimming", The Record, Hackensack, New Jersey, pg. 75, 16 January 1977
  2. "In Other Meets, Haverford High", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pg. 148, 18 January 1993
  3. "Swimming Results", Catholic League Boys, "The Philadelphia Inquirer", pg. 98, 22 March 1993
  4. Doherty, Bill, "St. James Breaks Losing Streak", The Philadelphia Inquirer, pg. 128, 17 February 1992
  5. Web site: Rider Athletics Hall of Fame . Rider Broncs . Rider University.
  6. Web site: 1995, 1995, 1997, 1998 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships. maacsports.com . Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
  7. https://admin.gostanford.com/news/2023/2/25/womens-swimming-diving-dominant-display.aspx "Dominant Display"
  8. https://gostanford.com/news/2023/3/23/womens-swimming-diving-pac-12-swim-sweep.aspx "Pac-12 Swim Awards Sweep"
  9. Web site: Greg Meehan Bio- The University of California Official Athletic Site . Cal Bears . University of California, Berkeley . 29 July 2018.
  10. Web site: Greg Meehan Named Pacific Men's and Women's Swimming Head Coach . Pacific Tigers . University of the Pacific.
  11. Web site: Greg Meehan Stanford Profile . gostanford.com . Stanford University.
  12. Web site: Bowmile . Mitch . Assistant Coach Named for United States Olympic Team . Swim Swam . July 3, 2016 . 29 July 2018.
  13. Web site: Bowmile . Mitch . Coaches in the Running for Olympic Team Staff . Swim Swam . July 2016 . 29 July 2018.
  14. Web site: Keith . Braden . Stanford Hires Greg Meehan to Lead Women's Team . Swim Swam . August 27, 2012 . 29 July 2018.
  15. Web site: Greg Meehan- Paul A. Violich Director of Women's Swimming . Go Stanford . Stanford University . 29 July 2018.
  16. https://gobroncs.com/news/2018/12/4/swimming-diving-greg-meehan-98-named-the-head-coach-for-the-2020-us-olympic-womens-swimming-team "Greg Meehan '98 Named the Head Coach for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Women's Swimming Team"
  17. Hemker, James (December 5, 2018). "Greg Meehan named head coach for USA women's swimming in the 2020 Olympics". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  18. Sutherland, James (June 17, 2021). "Who Will Be Team USA's Assistant Swimming Coaches In Tokyo?". SwimSwam. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  19. https://www.usaswimming.org/docs/default-source/mediadocuments/2020-olympic-trials-media-center/transcriptions/062021-mintenko-meehan-durden.pdf "U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming: National Team Director, Women's Olympic Head Coach, Men's Olympic Head Coach Media Conference"
  20. Gibbs, Robert (June 20, 2021). "USA Swimming Announces 8 Assistant Coaches For Tokyo Olympics". SwimSwam. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  21. Grybowski, Adam (August 6, 2021). "Olympic women's swimming team shines under head coach Greg Meehan '01". Rider University. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  22. https://www.usaswimming.org/docs/default-source/eventsdocuments/rosters/world-championships-world-juniors/2022-world-championships-roster-043022.pdf "2022 FINA World Championships Roster"
  23. Anderson, Jared (November 20, 2017). "Full 2017-2018 Golden Goggles Winners List". SwimSwam. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  24. https://olympics.com/en/news/katie-ledecky-and-ryan-murphy-win-golden-goggles-awards "Katie Ledecky and Ryan Murphy win Golden Goggles awards"
  25. Ross, Andy (November 19, 2018). "2018 Golden Goggles: Katie Ledecky, Ryan Murphy Win Athlete of the Year Awards". Swimming World. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  26. https://swimswam.com/pac-12-announces-2022-womens-swimming-diving-postseason-awards/ "Pac-12 Announces 2022 Women's Swimming & Diving Postseason Awards"
  27. https://gostanford.com/news/2017/6/11/womens-swimming-diving-meehan-inducted-in-hof.aspx "Meehan Inducted into HOF"
  28. Ortegon, Karl (June 12, 2017). "Greg Meehan Inducted Into Rider University Hall Of Fame". SwimSwam. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  29. Neidigh, Lauren (January 1, 2020). "2019 Swammy Awards: US Coach Of The Year Greg Meehan". SwimSwam. Retrieved April 5, 2022.