Lundgaard tapped as Princeton coach

Following a successful assistant coaching career at the University of Tennessee, Boulder City High alumnus Bret Lundgaard has been named the head women’s swimming coach at Princeton University in New Jersey.

The son of Boulder City High School swimming coach Sara Carroll and former Boulder City Councilman and Mayor Eric Lundgaard, Lundgaard joins the Tigers as the sixth head coach in the program’s history after a five-year career with the Volunteers. Currently a USA Swimming national team coach, Lundgaard was the primary coach for 2016 U.S. Olympian Molly Hannis, who competed in Rio in the 200-meter breaststroke.

Lundgaard coached Hannis at Tennessee, when Vols placed third at the NCAA Championships, the best finish in their history.

After coaching multiple Southeastern Conference champions at Tennessee, Lundgaard takes over at Princeton for Susan Teeter, who won 17 Ivy League titles and produced 22 All-Americans during her 35-year career with the Tigers.

Lundgaard is regarded as one of the premier recruiters in the country after serving as the director of recruiting at Tennessee. He helped build five top-10 recruiting classes between the women’s and men’s teams, including the No. 2 women’s class in 2013.

A swimmer at the University of Washington from 2004-08, Lundgaard served as captain for two years and was a 2008 Olympic trials qualifier in the 100-meter butterfly before starting his coaching career at Boulder City High School and for the Desert Storm Swim Team.

Lundgaard’s first college position was at West Point, where he served as an assistant with the Black Knights from 2009-11.

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.