Longtime University of Wisconsin head coach Yuri Suguiyama has been named USA Swimming’s new National Team Senior Director and Coach, the organization announced Wednesday.
Suguiyama joins USA Swimming after seven seasons as the head coach of the Badgers, aligning with another former NCAA coach, Greg Meehan, who was announced as USA Swimming’s National Team Director earlier this month.
In this new role, Suguiyama will support both the National Team program, including guiding performance strategies and aiding the country’s top swimmers through the Olympic quad, and USA Swimming’s National Team Division, assisting in areas such as strategic planning, international competiison, domestic racing schedules, athlete and coach services, and long-term planning development.
“Yuri has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and a deep commitment to athlete development in all levels of the sport,” said Meehan. “His vision and experience helping club, collegiate, and professional swimmers make U.S. Olympic teams make him an outstanding choice to coach and support our team.”
Meehan and Suguiyama notably both assistant coaches at Cal under Dave Durden before moving on and taking head coaching jobs of their own programs.
During his time at Wisconsin, Suguiyama’s swimmers won three NCAA titles, 29 Big Ten titles, 66 All-America honors, 49 school records and three top-15 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
“It is an honor to be joining USA Swimming in this role and I’m thrilled to be working with Greg Meehan,” said Suiguiyama. “My experiences with the U.S. National Team have been the highlights of my career and I’m ready to work and help our nation’s top athletes prepare for the competitions ahead.”
Most recently, the Wisconsin women placed 12th at the NCAA Championships, moving up from 15th in 2024, while the Badger men also saw noted improvement from last year, moving up from 31st place in the team standings to 22nd.
“We want to thank Yuri for his seven successful years at Wisconsin and congratulate him on this exciting new opportunity,” Wisconsin Athletic Director Chris McCintosh said.
“Under Yuri’s leadership, our program achieved success in and out of the pool and he is leaving Wisconsin swimming and diving in an even better place than when he arrived.
“I’m proud of the role our program and student-athletes have had in helping Yuri earn this new position and wish him the best as he moves on to represent Team USA.”
Prior to his time at Wisconsin, Suguiyama served as the associate head coach at Cal under Durden from 2012 to 2018, winning CSCAA Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2014. He joined the Bears after spending sex seasons as a coach at Nation’s Capital Swim Club, where he worked with Katie Ledecky prior to her Olympic gold medal victory in the women’s 800 freestyle at the 2012 Olympics in London.
