Chris Collier is in his fifth season as an assistant coach with the Wisconsin swimming and diving program in 2017-18.
Collier helped both the Badgers men and women to impressive finishes to the 2016-17 season. The Wisconsin women took third place at the 2017 Big Ten Championships for their best conference showing since 2005, while the men claimed fifth place to secure a third-consecutive top-five Big Ten finish — something the program had not achieved since doing so from 1999 to 2004.
On the women's side, newcomer Cierra Runge thrived with a return to Collier's tutelage; Collier had previously coached Runge at the elite North Baltimore Aquatics Club. In her first season with the Badgers, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist smashed five school records and combined with teammates Chase Kinney, Emmy Sehmann and Marissa Berg to topple the Big Ten record in the 400 freestyle relay with an All-America effort of 3:12.91 at the 2017 NCAA Championships.
In all, nine Badgers women were named All-Americans in 2016-17.
Another 2016 Olympian who found continued success with Collier's coaching, senior Matt Hutchins, closed out his decorated distance career at Wisconsin by securing his 10th All-America honor with a fifth-place NCAA showing in the 1650 free.
Also, senior Brett Pinfold became the first UW men's swimmer to earn first-team All-America accolades in the 200 freestyle with a school-record time of 1:33.21 — one of 12 UW records that fell for the Badgers men during the season. UW had five swimmers named All-America at the 2017 NCAA Championships.
The Badgers produced another successful season in 2015-16 on both the men's and women's side. For the men, Hutchins became the first male in program history to be named Big Ten Swimmer of the Year after he set school records in the 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events. Collectively, both the men and women reset a total of seven school records during the season. The men's team finished 18th at the 2016 NCAA Championships, the men's best finish since 2013.
The Badgers posted one of the best campaigns in the history of the program in 2014-15. Both the men's and women's teams spent the entire season ranked within the top 25 of the CSCAA Coaches Poll, and the men's team brought down Pac-12 powerhouses Arizona State, Arizona and USC, as well as border rival Minnesota to highlight the historic season.
Led by back-to-back Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships Ivy Martin, the women collected a total of seven Big Ten titles and eight swimmers earned All-America accolades in 2014-15. In all, the Badgers women took down four Big Ten records and eight school records.
On the men's side, Hutchins and Drew teDuits each won individual Big Ten titles and six men collected All-America distinction. The UW men toppled a total of nine school records.
Between the men's and women's teams, Wisconsin had 11 swimmers earn All-Big Ten accolades.
The Badgers rewrote four Big Ten marks and 17 school records during Collier's second year at UW in 2014-15. Specializing in the distance events, Collier saw sophomores Danielle Valley and Hutchins break the long-standing women's 500- and men's 1650-yard freestyle school records at the NCAA championships, respectively.
In just his first season at Wisconsin in 2013-14, Collier helped the team earn four Big Ten titles, including a pair of individual crowns as 12 Badgers earned All-Big Ten accolades, led by 2014 Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships and three-time Big Ten champion Ivy Martin.
Collier saw the men's squad tally eight school-best marks, as junior Nick Caldwell set UW school records in the 200 (1:34.10), 1000 (9:01.33) and 1650 (15:02.16) freestyle events, while Cannon Clifton set the 100 freestyle record (43.28) during his rookie campaign in Madison. Nick Schafer also set UW records in both the 100 (52.88) and 200 (1:54.23) breaststroke during the 2013-14 season.
On the women's side, Collier had a hand in the squad setting five school records. Aside from Martin's achievements, the 200 (1:27.76) and 400 (3:13.85) freestyle relay squads swam to Big Ten and school records, while senior Rebecka Palm capped off the team's record-setting performances by setting a new program-best in the 100-yard butterfly (52.62).
Collier joined the Badgers after spending 2011 and 2012 as High Performance, Challenge and Imagination coach at North Baltimore Aquatics Club in Baltimore, Maryland.
Assisting head coach Bob Bowman, the High Performance group placed a pair of athletes on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, earning seven gold medals, three silvers and a bronze at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The group sent 13 athletes to the USA Olympic Trials with numerous finals qualifiers and earned a 2012 USA Swimming Summer Junior National women's title. Collier's athletes also earned all six national champion freestyle titles, as he placed one swimmer on their respective county's World University Games roster.
Collier also coached an athlete to the 2012 National Youth team, helping them place on the 2012 Pan Pacific Youth Team. The athlete produced two gold, one silver and one bronze medal.
In 2013, he assisted the High Performance group that qualified 11 athletes for the 2013 World Championship Trials. Collier coached the National Age Group Challenge 1650 champion.
Collier has coached high school, YMCA and USA Swimming club teams since 1987. He has coached four athletes to Olympic Trials, Senior National, Junior National qualifications, as well as coaching multiple swimmers to top 16 and USA Swimming all-time top 100 times. He has produced a six-time league champion team, three-time high school championship teams and multiple scholar All-Americans.
Collier is a native of Newark, Delaware. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in physical education in 1992. He's a business owner, avid runner, fitness enthusiast, a husband and father to three, Andrew, Melissa and Ben.
