Kirk Grand - Men's Swimming and Diving Coach - Indiana University Athletics

Kirk Grand

Title:
Assistant Sprint Coach
Email:
kfgrand@iu.edu
Phone:
(812) 855-4935

Entering the 2019-20 season, Dr. Kirk Grand is in his second season as the assistant sprint coach for both the men’s and women’s swimming teams. Along with his hiring to the swimming staff, Dr. Grand was also appointed the Associate Director of the Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming.

For the first time in school history, both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams won the Big Ten team titles in 2018-19. The men's squad won the championship for the third-straight year, while the women's team won its first Big Ten team crown since 2011. Both teams were dominant at the league championships, with the men's team winning a total of total of 24 medals – 13 gold, six silver and five bronze - and the women's team winning a total of 14 medals – seven gold, one silver and six bronze.

At the NCAA Championships, Grand helped guide the men's team to back-to-back top-3 finishes for the first time in 44 years. The Hoosier men finished in third place, winning four NCAA Championships (Vini Lanza, 100 fly; Ian Finnerty, 100 breast; Andrew Capobianco, 3-meter; 400 medley relay) for the second-straight year. Over the course of the NCAA Championships, the Hoosiers had 13 individuals earn a total of 38 All-America honors.

Lilly King highlighted the women's team's accomplishments at the 2019 NCAA Championships, becoming the first woman in NCAA history to win eight breaststroke titles, completing her four-year sweep of the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. As a team, Indiana placed ninth overall, earning the program's fifth-straight top-10 finish and 10th top-10 in school history at the NCAA Championships.

Dr. Grand came to Bloomington from Auburn University, where he served as an assistant coach for two seasons and a volunteer assistant coach for another three. At Auburn, Dr. Grand was the primary coach for 19 All-American swimmers and multiple-time SEC and NCAA finalists and qualifiers. Dr. Grand also served as a USA Swimming National Team coach in 2018.

At Auburn, Grand was the recruiting coordinator for the men's team and also led and designed practices for the sprint group. One of those sprinters, Zach Apple, won the SEC title in the 50 freestyle and also won gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay at the 2017 World Championships. Fellow Auburn swimmer Peter Holoda took bronze in the same event for Hungary. On the women's side, Auburn won the SEC 400 freestyle relay championship in 2018.

Grand, who specialized in psychophysiology while earning his PhD from Auburn, assisted with the day-to-day functions of the Auburn swimming and diving program while the volunteer assistant. He presented evidence-based research to the team and lead mindfulness, self-talk, physiology and performance anxiety information sessions.

While at Auburn, Grand remained a research associate for the Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming and has also previously worked with the Longhorn Swim Camp.

Grand has been a USA Swimming Head Coach in Bloomington, Ind., designing training plans for athletes ranging from national level to learn to swim. From 2011-13 he was a head men’s high school swim coach and a swim technique instructor in Bloomington, winning Indiana High School Coach of the Year and National High School Federation Sectional Coach of the Year honors in 2012.

Grand graduated Cum Laude from Ohio State University in 2010 after being a member of the Miami (Ohio) University swim team from 2006-08. He earned his Master’s in Exercise Physiology, Human Performance from Indiana University in 2013.

Grand has been published in multiple publications as well as the book, The Science of Swimming Faster. He has also presented at the American Swim Coaches Association World Clinic on the limits to superior performance.