Mike Rinde in his first season as head coach of the Lafayette Swimming and Diving Program. He is the 13th head coach in the team's history.
Rinde enters his third year on College Hill after a successful first two seasons. During those two seasons, the Maroon and White broke 39 school records and recorded 160 new entries into the Lafayette All-Time Top 10 performance lists. Beyond that, the men's and women's teams were College Swimming Coaches Athletic Association Team Scholar All-Americans in all four semesters, boasting team GPAs of 3.33 and 3.57 for the men's and women's team respectively, and the teams collectively posted 15 perfect 4.0 GPAs during the spring '26 semester. During both the '25 and '26 season, two divers qualified for NCAA Division I Zone A Diving Championships.
Rinde joined Lafayette after two seasons with Lehigh University’s swimming and diving team, where he first served as a volunteer assistant before transitioning into a full-time assistant coaching role. His responsibilities included designing and running workouts, recruiting, coordinating official visits, and overseeing underwater video analysis and review.
Prior to Lehigh, Rinde was the Program Director and Head Coach at Parkland Swimming Club, where he played a key role in advancing the club’s mission and overall development.
From 2013 to 2022, Rinde held coaching positions across the country, working with programs in New York, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. His experience includes roles with Blue Eagle Swim Team, Nazareth High School Swimming and Diving, SwimAtlanta, Tampa Bay Aquatics, and the Montgomery YMCA Barracudas.
Rinde began his collegiate coaching career as a Graduate Assistant at Canisius University while earning his master’s degree from 2010 to 2013. At Canisius, he was instrumental in international recruitment, team operations, and technique development, specializing in distance training and coaching at Open Water Nationals. He also served as an assistant coach for the Town Wreckers Swim Team from 2009 to 2013.
A native of Horseheads, N.Y., Rinde earned his bachelor of science degree in health and wellness from SUNY Buffalo State College in 2010 before completing his master’s degree in sports administration from Canisius University in 2013.
He currently resides in Bethlehem, Pa., with his wife, Hayden, and their two dogs, Toots and Bodie.
