By Charlotte Wells on SwimSwam
Former Stanford swimmer Kim Williams is making her return to the Cardinal swimming and diving team, having just been announced as the women’s swimming and diving assistant coach on Monday.
“I am ecstatic to be returning to The Farm, this time as a coach,” Williams said. “Greg [Meehan] is undoubtedly one of the best coaches in the country and more importantly one of the best people I know. I cannot wait to work alongside him and reunite with Katie Robinson as well. The Cardinal women have a special place in my heart and I am beyond excited to embark on this journey with these women.”
Williams is taking over the role from former assistant coach Kim Brackin, who headed back home to Florida after finishing out a six month commitment with the team in late June.
Stanford’s women’s team placed 5th at the NCAA Division I Championship this past season, despite losing several top performers due to transferring or going pro. In 2023 the women’s squad secured a 3rd-place finish at the NCAA Championships, and they will be looking to move up the rankings again this coming season.
Williams competed for Stanford from 2015 to 2019, earning a total of six NCAA All-America honors over the course of her collegiate career. She helped lead the team to three consecutive NCAA and Pac-12 Championships,
Williams left a lasting mark on the team, as she still holds three Stanford Top-10 times, including school records in the 200 and 400 medley relays. In addition, Williams served as team captain during her senior year and was a four-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and three-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree.
After graduating in the spring of 2019, Williams served as a full-time swim coach at Ladera Oaks Swim & Tennis Club in California.
Her first voyage into the world of collegiate coaching was as a volunteer assistant at Northwestern during the 2022-2023 season under the direction of Robinson, who was recently hired as the associate head coach at Stanford.
Williams spent the 2023-2024 season working as the assistant coach for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs at the University of California, Berkeley under head coach David Durden. During her time with the Golden Bears, Williams helped the women’s team attain their sixth Pac-12 title in program history.
Williams is returning to the Stanford team as an assistant under the guidance of head coach Greg Meehan, who announced the addition of Williams to the coaching staff.
“Kim is a rising star in the coaching profession, has extensive institutional knowledge of Stanford and is someone Katie Robinson and I know and trust,” Meehan said. “It just feels right having Kim back on The Farm.”
Meehan himself was previously an assistant coach at California under Durden from 2008 to 2012.
Williams’ move to Stanford also reunites her with associate head coach Robinson after working under her at Northwestern for one season.
Originally from Bellevue, Washington, Williams earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in political science.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kim Williams Returns to Alma Mater as Stanford Women’s Assistant Coach