Lea Maurer

Lea Maurer, an Olympic gold medalist and former Stanford women’s head coach who guided the Cardinal for seven years, is in her first year as a USC Men’s and Women’s Swimming Head Coach. She was named Head Coach on April 1, 2022.

Maurer's 2022 Trojans were highlighted by the efforts of sophomore Kaitlyn Dobler who became an NCAA champion in the 100y breast with a USC and Pac-12 record (56.93). Dobler, who repeated as the Pac-12 100y breast champion, claimed one of four conference crowns the Women of Troy won in 2022 (Isabelle Odgers 200y breast, Anicka Delgado 50y free, Caroline Pennington 1650y free). After finishing third at Pac-12's, the Trojans (5-2, 4-2) would wrap up the NCAA Championships at 16thoverall, as four of Maurer's swimmers picked up All-American honors.The men's squad (5-2, 3-2) was led by grad transfer Trent Pellini, who finished fifth in the 100y breast at the NCAAs, helping Troy to a 26thplace finish at the Championships. At Pac-12's, USC was fourth, with freshman Chris O'Grady leading a 2-3 Trojan finish in the 100y breast. 25 USC swimmers and divers earned CSCAA Scholar All-America honors with 22 swimmers being named to the Pac-12's Winter Academic Honor Roll.

Maurer, a 1992 Olympic gold and bronze medalist and a 1998 World Championships gold medalist, was the Stanford women’s head coach from 2006 through 2012, guiding the Cardinal to seven straight NCAA top 5 finishes as well as back-to-back Pac-10 titles in 2010-11. She has also served as a Stanford men’s water polo volunteer assistant coach since 2013.

Her Cardinal swim teams, which peaked with an NCAA runner-up finish in 2010, secured 13 NCAA individual and relay titles, 37 conference championships and 163 All-American honors while going 66-5 in dual meets.

Maurer has coached numerous swimmers who competed at the Olympics, World Championships, Pan Pacific Games and World University Games. Under her tutelage, Stanford swimmers Elaine Breeden and Julia Smit combined to earn three relay medals at the 2008 Olympics while the Cardinal’s Tara Kirk broke American records in the 100 and 200-yard breast in 2006. Breeden was also an American record holder (200 fly) while Smit set world and American records in the 200 and 400 I.M.

Maurer began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Northwestern in 1994-95 before embarking on a highly successful 10-year run as the head boys’ and girls’ coach at Lake Forest (Ill.) High. Her tenure there included a 2002-03 boys mythical national title and a 2003 girls mythical public school national title, a combined three state titles and eight Illinois Swimming Association Coach of the Year honors. Among her star swimmers was eventual Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers.

Maurer swam on three Stanford national title teams (1992-93-94) and won NCAA titles in the 100y back each year while claiming the 200y back in 1993. She also raced on six Cardinal NCAA relay titles. She won 15 Pac-10 titles (seven individual, eight relays) and earned 21 All-American honors (19 at Stanford). Maurer, who competed one season for Florida as a freshman, was inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame in November of 2006.

She graduated from Stanford with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies (1993) and a master’s in education (1994).