University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Samantha Pitter Named Associate Head Coach at Pitt
6/3/2022 12:52:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
PITTSBURGH –University of Pittsburgh Swimming and Diving Head Coach Chase Kreitler has announced the hiring of Samantha Pitter as Associate Head Coach Friday afternoon.
"I am extremely excited to have Samantha Pitter join our staff at University of Pittsburgh,' said Kreitler. "She has done a fantastic job of developing positive relationships with the student-athletes at Harvard and MIT, while drawing out superb performances at championship meets. Sam's experiences as a USA National Team Coach, working directly with an NCAA Champion and helping develop a program to a top 10 finish at the NCAA championships will all be extremely valuable as we build the program together at Pitt. In addition to Sam's extensive experience in the sport, I know she will be a fantastic mentor to our student-athletes at Pitt."
Pitter comes from Harvard where she spent eight seasons on the coaching staff, including four as Associate Head Coach for the men's swimming program. Pitter helped lead Harvard to two consecutive Top 15 finishes at the NCAA Championships and five consecutive Ivy League Championships. During her tenure, the Crimson rewrote 60 school records while five recruiting classes finished in the top-25 nationally.
"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and would like to thank Chase for the opportunity to serve as an Associate Head Coach at University of Pittsburgh," said Pitter. "Pitt is a really special university with great academics and fantastic leaders. I'm so excited to join the staff and help bring to life the vision Chase has for Pitt Swimming & Diving. I look forward to working with the student-athletes to help them reach their athletic, academic and professional goals. H2P!"
Pitter coached Dean Farris to tremendous heights during his time at Harvard. Under Pitter's guidance, Farris finished his career as a two-time NCAA Champion and American record holder while earning 23 All-American accolades.
Prior to Harvard, Ritter spent five years at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), including four years as assistant and one year as acting head coach in 2012-13. She helped lead both the men's and women's programs to three consecutive NEWMAC Championships, while guiding the men to four consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships. In 2012-13, she led the Engineers to their best NCAA finishes: third place for the men and eighth place for the women. Over the course of that season, the women went on to break 12 school records and the men rewrote 21 of 24 school records, which included three NCAA event titles and one NCAA record. Pitter was named NEWMAC Women's Coach of the Year for the squad's performance at the NEWMAC Championships.
She also has experience coaching at the national level as a three-time USA National Team coach.
Pitter earned a double-major Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Communication at Hamilton College in 2007. There, she was a four-time All-America sprinter, school-record holder, team captain and NESCAC All-Academic recipient. She later earned a Masters of Education in Physical Education Specializing in Coaching from Boston University in 2011.
"I am extremely excited to have Samantha Pitter join our staff at University of Pittsburgh,' said Kreitler. "She has done a fantastic job of developing positive relationships with the student-athletes at Harvard and MIT, while drawing out superb performances at championship meets. Sam's experiences as a USA National Team Coach, working directly with an NCAA Champion and helping develop a program to a top 10 finish at the NCAA championships will all be extremely valuable as we build the program together at Pitt. In addition to Sam's extensive experience in the sport, I know she will be a fantastic mentor to our student-athletes at Pitt."
Pitter comes from Harvard where she spent eight seasons on the coaching staff, including four as Associate Head Coach for the men's swimming program. Pitter helped lead Harvard to two consecutive Top 15 finishes at the NCAA Championships and five consecutive Ivy League Championships. During her tenure, the Crimson rewrote 60 school records while five recruiting classes finished in the top-25 nationally.
"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and would like to thank Chase for the opportunity to serve as an Associate Head Coach at University of Pittsburgh," said Pitter. "Pitt is a really special university with great academics and fantastic leaders. I'm so excited to join the staff and help bring to life the vision Chase has for Pitt Swimming & Diving. I look forward to working with the student-athletes to help them reach their athletic, academic and professional goals. H2P!"
Pitter coached Dean Farris to tremendous heights during his time at Harvard. Under Pitter's guidance, Farris finished his career as a two-time NCAA Champion and American record holder while earning 23 All-American accolades.
Prior to Harvard, Ritter spent five years at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), including four years as assistant and one year as acting head coach in 2012-13. She helped lead both the men's and women's programs to three consecutive NEWMAC Championships, while guiding the men to four consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships. In 2012-13, she led the Engineers to their best NCAA finishes: third place for the men and eighth place for the women. Over the course of that season, the women went on to break 12 school records and the men rewrote 21 of 24 school records, which included three NCAA event titles and one NCAA record. Pitter was named NEWMAC Women's Coach of the Year for the squad's performance at the NEWMAC Championships.
She also has experience coaching at the national level as a three-time USA National Team coach.
Pitter earned a double-major Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Communication at Hamilton College in 2007. There, she was a four-time All-America sprinter, school-record holder, team captain and NESCAC All-Academic recipient. She later earned a Masters of Education in Physical Education Specializing in Coaching from Boston University in 2011.
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