Blaire Anderson named as the New Director of Texas A&M Swimming & Diving
Bryan-College Station, Texas – The Texas A&M Athletics fraternity rejoices as Blaire Anderson is announced as the first Director of Texas A&M Swimming and Diving. The news came to light on Monday after seven seasons of Anderson honing her skills at the University of Virginia, her most recent role being the associate head coach. As the director, she will supervise both the women’s and men’s swimming and diving programs which Texas A&M recently integrated.
Blaire Anderson arrives with an eye-catching track record, including guiding one of the most powerful women’s swimming and diving units to four successive national championships. Also, she contributed to the men’s team making it to the NCAA Championships’ top-20, five times consecutively.
An Ambitious Leader with a History of Success
Texas A&M Director of Athletics, Trev Alberts, expressed his delight at this development, stating, “Blaire is a bright, energetic young coach who has recruited extremely well for a championship program at Virginia“. He further added, “I believe she has a vision for that same championship program here in Aggieland“.
The excitement around Anderson’s appointment resonates with Brad Barnes, Texas A&M’s Executive Associate Director of Athletics, who praised Anderson for her “proven ability to connect with, develop, and retain student-athletes.”
Transition to a New Era
Anderson embarks on her journey in Aggieland with immense gratitude and excitement. “I am honored to be the Director of Swimming & Diving, a new era for Texas A&M as the men’s and women’s programs combine as one team, with one vision,” she said. Anderson’s vision and leadership will build on the legacy established by Steve Bultman and Jay Holmes for the further success of the team.
A Strategist and An Exceptional Recruiter
Throughout her tenure at Virginia, Anderson demonstrated her ability in strategic recruiting, resulting in her securing the top two spots in women’s recruitment classes and the third and ninth positions in the men’s recruitment classes for the NCAA. This strategy played a decisive role in leading Virginia’s women’s team to their first NCAA Championship in 2020-21, subsequently winning in three more seasons.
A Coach of Excellence and An Olympic Mentor
Anderson’s reputation does not solely reside in her recruiting capabilities; she is also a praiseworthy coach. One of her pupils, U.S. Olympian Paige Madden, clinched four individual national titles while with the Cavaliers under Anderson’s guidance.
Anderson’s international profile has flourished as well, with her assisting Team USA at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, and at the 2021 Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi. She brings with her a wealth of coaching experience from both the club and college level.
The Journey Thus Far
Prior to Virginia, Anderson served as the assistant swimming coach and women’s recruiting coordinator at Indiana. Her tenure at Indiana saw the program capture the 2017 Big Ten Conference Championship.
Earlier in her career, Anderson served as the head swimming coach and aquatics director for Brenau, where she was awarded the 2014 NAIA Swimming & Diving Women’s Coach of the Year, showing her consistent growth trajectory over the years.
Anderson is undoubtedly a valuable addition to the Texas A&M Athletics family, poised to make an impact and steer the Swimming and Diving programs towards unprecedented success.
About Blaire Anderson
A graduate from Georgia College and State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communication, her journey in professional swimming and diving is remarkable. The former Blaire Bachman and her husband Matthew Anderson are the proud parents of a son, George.
