Bio entering 2024-25 Season
Mike Shrader embarks on his 18th season at the helm of the San Diego State swimming and diving team, having been named head coach prior to the 2007-08 campaign. Since his arrival on The Mesa, Shrader has built the Aztecs into one of the top programs in the Mountain West and on the West Coast.
A 10-time MW Swim Coach of the Year, Shrader has guided the Scarlet and Black to five of the last six Mountain West Championships (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024) and extended the Aztecs’ lead for the most swimming and diving conference titles among active members with eight crowns since 2011. In addition, his 10 MW Swim Coach of the Year honors are the most for any coach in league history.
Under Shrader’s direction in 2023-24, SDSU captured the Mountain West Championship for the third year in a row with 1,487.50 points, marking its third-highest team score at a conference meet. In addition, the Aztecs completed their ninth undefeated dual-meet ledger in the last 10 seasons after compiling a 15-0 record. As a result, San Diego State extended its streak to 65 straight victories in dual-meet competition dating back to Jan 8, 2018, a span of over six years.
Individually, Shrader coached two swimmers who qualified for the NCAA Championships, as Alex Roberts (100 fly, 100 back, 200 back) and Christiana Williams (100 breast, 200 breast) punched their tickets to the national meet.
Overall, Shrader’s charges produced 22 of the fastest times on the school’s top 10 career list last season, including four relay teams. In addition, seven swimmers recorded 15 NCAA “B” Cut times in 2024, while all seven divers logged at least one Zone E qualifying mark.
Additionally, Roberts was named Mountain West Swimmer of the Year for the second straight season, giving the Aztecs their fifth conference honoree in a row after Klara Thormalm received such distinction in three consecutive years from 2020-22.
At the 2024 MW Championships, SDSU won seven individual gold medals while capturing four of five relay events.
In all, the Aztecs earned 56 all-Mountain West honors at the league meet, including Meredith Smithbaker, who took home seven awards, while Roberts collected five certificates, followed by Williams, Moa Bergdahl, Wilma Johansson, Mai McKenna, Reka Nyiradi and Alyssa Schiller with four apiece.
Nyiradi blossomed under Shrader’s tutelage last year, earning three Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors, while Smithbaker (two) and Williams (one) combined for three conference Swimmer of the Week awards.
Along with their success in the pool, Shrader’s student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom, receiving Scholar-All-America Team recognition from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) in 23 of the last 24 semesters since the start of the 2012-13 academic
With Shrader at the controls, SDSU fashioned another successful campaign in 2022-23, as the Scarlet and Black tallied a conference-record 1,638 points at the Mountain West Championships, eclipsing its previous standard of 1,541.50 points set the previous year. Additionally, the Aztecs continued to shine in dual-meet competition, posting an unblemished 14-0 record.
That season, Shrader coached three NCAA qualifiers in Roberts (100 fly, 100 back, 200 back), Williams (100 breast, 200 breast) and Kristina Murphy (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 breast), who secured their first career berths in the national meet. Roberts ultimately garnered MW Swimmer of the Year accolades as well.
In 2023, Shrader’s charges produced 33 of the fastest times on the school’s top 10 career list, along with one superlative diving score. In addition, 13 swimmers recorded 23 NCAA “B” Cut times in 2023, while six of seven divers logged at least one Zone E qualifying mark.
At the 2023 Mountain West Championships, Johansson and Bergdahl were named Swimmer of the Meet and Freshman of the Meet, respectively, as the Scarlet and Black claimed 10 individual gold medals and swept all five relay events.
Overall, the Aztecs earned a record 59 all-MW honors at the league meet, including Smithbaker and Jeannette King, who collected six plaudits apiece, while Roberts, Murphy and Lizzie Menzmer merited five each.
Not to be outdone, Shrader guided the Scarlet and Black to the team title at the highly competitive SMU Invitational, giving SDSU four meet crowns in 13 regular-season invitationals since the start of the 2017-18 campaign to go with an additional seven second-place efforts and a pair of third -place results in that span.
Following the meet, Roberts was named Mountain West Swimmer of the Week, as the Aztecs took home four such awards for the season, along with five conference Diver of the Week honors and one Freshman of the Week accolade.
Shrader enjoyed another banner season in 2021-22, winning the Mountain West Championships in convincing fashion with 1,541.50 points to easily outdistance runner-up Nevada (1,277.50 pts) and third-place UNLV (1,249 pts). Not surprisingly, Shrader once again earned MW Swim Coach of the Year honors.
The Aztecs collected 55 all-Mountain West plaudits at the conference championships, including seven by Thormalm, while Smithbaker and Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez took home MW Freshman of the Meet and MW Diver of the Meet awards.
During the 2021-22 campaign, every swimmer and diver on the SDSU roster recorded at least one career-best time or mark, while each diver authored a Zone E qualifying score. Additionally, a total of 21 swims were quick enough to enter the program’s top-10 career list along with 11 diving scores.
For the third straight year, Thormalm was named Mountain West Swimmer of the Year after representing San Diego State at the 2022 NCAA Championships, highlighted by a 15th-place finish in the 100 breaststroke along with a swim of 22.35 in the 50 freestyle, which ranks fifth in program history. Additionally, diver Valentina Lopez Arevalo placed 34th in the platform event at the national meet.
In dual-meet competition, Shrader oversaw an Aztec squad that posted another unblemished record of 12-0, including six wins at the LMU Quad Meet in Los Angeles.
Following the season, Roberts, Murphy and Smithbaker were invited to compete in the USA Swimming National Championships.
Shrader successfully navigated a modified schedule fraught by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020-21 season, finishing with a 4-0 record in dual meets before leading the Aztecs to a third-place finish at the Mountain West Championships.
The 2019-20 campaign was another successful one for SDSU, which defended its conference championship and qualified three individual swimmers, a relay squad and one diver to compete in the 2020 NCAA Championships (canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The Scarlet and Black continued its perfect dual-meet streak for the second consecutive season, logging an 8-0 record.
In addition to their success in the water, the Aztecs posted their highest team grade-point average in program history during the Fall 2019 semester, collectively earning a 3.34 team GPA.
At the 2020 conference championships, the Aztecs set new conference-best marks in the 100 breast, 200 breast, and the 200-yard medley relay, with both individual record-setting swims coming from Mountain West Swimmer of the Meet junior Klara Thormalm. Their championship efforts lead to 35 all-Mountain West conference honors.
Including three new school records, SDSU's swimmers posted 23 times that rank inside the program's top-10 performances throughout the 2019-20 season. Additionally, a team-best seven swimmers earned all-America distinction from the CSCAA for their impressive performances ranking among the nation’s best in 2019-20.
The 2018-19 campaign saw the Aztecs set five school records including the 200 and 400 medley relay teams that both set Mountain West records at the MW Championships in February. Including the five new school records, the Aztecs posted 33 times in the 2018-19 season that rank inside the program record book's top 10. Shrader guided three swimmers (Klara Thormalm, Courtney Vincent, Morganne McKennan) to the NCAA Championships, where the Aztecs finished 38th with nine points after Klara Thormalm won the consolation final in the 100 breast with a conference-record 58.93, earning CSCAA All-America Honorable Mention honors. The time for Thormalm marked as the ninth-fastest at the NCAA Championships. While SDSU sent three student-athletes to the NCAA Championships, the rest of the Mountain West combined had one student-athlete participate.
San Diego State's 38th-place finish at the 2019 NCAA Championships ranked fifth among California programs trailing only national champion Stanford, national runner-up California, 10th-place finisher USC, and 17th-place finisher UCLA. Among non-power 5 programs, the Aztecs finished fourth trailing only Eastern Michigan, Hawai'i, and Florida International.
The Aztecs earned 30 all-Mountain West honors in 2018-19 at the Mountain West Championships. In dual meet action in 2018-19, the Aztecs finished a perfect 13-0, marking the fourth undefeated dual meet season for the Aztecs in the last six years. Over the last six years, the Aztecs are 70-2 in dual meet competition.
In 2017-18, Shrader led the Aztecs to an 11-1 record in dual meet competition, a first-place finish at the A3 Invitational in November 2017, and a second-place finish in the Mountain West Championships. The Aztecs finished their fall A3 Invitational meet with first-place finishes in all but two events. In the spring, SDSU had 11 student-athletes earn All-MW distinction. Courtney Vincent, who set the school record and won the individual title in the MW Championships in the 100 fly, earned her first NCAA Championship appearance in 2017-18 under Shrader's direction. Vincent became the 37th student-athlete Shrader has directed to an NCAA Championship appearance.
In March 2015, his team sent seven swimmers to the NCAA Championships with four of them earning honorable mention All-America honors. A total of 16 of his athletes earned all-Mountain West recognition and captured the conference Swimmer of the Week award on five occasions. During the season, Aztec swimmers and divers turned in a total of 35 times/scores in individual events that rank among the top 10 in program history along with 13 relay times that are also among the all-time top 10.
During the 2014-15 season, the Aztecs successfully defended their title at the A3 Performance Invitational, a meet that included such schools as UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. San Diego State ended the regular season ranked 25th in the nation by the College Swimming Coaches of America Association (CSCAA) and was 27th in the CollegeSwimming.com final poll.
In 2014, Shrader sent six swimmers to the NCAA Championship meet saw freshman Anika Apostalon earn All-America honors while four others captured honorable mention All-America accolades. Apostalon was named the Mountain West Swimmer of the Year while Shrader picked up the conference Coach of the Year award for the fifth time. It marked the fourth time in the past five years that SDSU had produced the conference swimmer of the year. In addition, Mikaela Macklin picked up the Mountain West Senior Award as she concluded a stellar four-year career at SDSU. SDSU sent seven swimmers to the 2013 NCAA Championships, the most in school history, and produced four honorable mention All-Americans. The Aztecs also had Macklin named the Mountain West Swimmer of the Year.
During the previous season (2011-12), SDSU turned in a second consecutive undefeated season after finishing the campaign with a 16-0 dual meet record and placing second at the Mountain West Conference championship meet titles.
In 2010-11, the Aztecs went 19-0 and won the school's first-ever conference title. A total of 11 swimmers and divers earned all-conference honors that season as the Aztecs set school records in 11 individual swimming events, three diving events and two relay events. Kelly Marquenie and Kristen Meier earned MWC co-Swimmer of the Year and Diver of the Year honors respectively with Shrader capturing the MWC Coach of the Year award for the third consecutive season. San Diego State was ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation throughout the season as it sent a pair of swimmers (Marquenie and Katelyn Weddle) to the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row.
Under Shrader, SDSU broke out on the national scene during the 2009-10 season.
Before starting the year, SDSU's recruiting class was ranked No. 4 nationally by collegeswimming.com. Not only was this the highest ranking ever by SDSU in the history of the ranking, but it was also the highest-ranking ever for a Mountain West Conference University. The number-four national recruiting ranking kick-started a year of incredible accomplishments culminating with two swimmers qualifying for the NCAA Championships and earning a 42nd place finish, the highest placing of any Mountain West Conference University that season. Freshman swimmer Katelyn Weddle finished the year placing 12th in the 100 breast. Weddle also went on to have a spectacular summer of Long Course competition and ended the summer ranked 72nd in the world in the 100 breast. In addition to an outstanding NCAA finish, the team had standout performances throughout the season as well. The 2009-10 squad finished with the most dual meets wins in school history (14) as well as the highest placing ever at the conference championships (third place). With the outstanding performances of the Aztec swimmers and divers, coach Shrader earned his second consecutive Mountain West Conference Coach of the year award. Freshman swimmer Meghan Zimmer also picked up the Mountain West Conference Swimmer of the year award due to her outstanding performance at the championships. At the MWC title meet SDSU took first place in three of the five relay races as well as first in six of the thirteen individual swimming events.
During the 2008-09 campaign, Shrader led his charges to a sixth-place finish at the Mountain West Conference championships, the team's best placing since the 2001 season. Along the way, the Aztecs set eight individual and five relay SDSU records and Shrader was named the MWC co-Coach of the Year. The 2011-12 Aztecs entered the season with the No. 17 ranked recruiting class in the country, again the highest-ranked class of any Mountain West Conference School.
In his first season on The Mesa, Shrader led the Scarlet and Black to its best record since the 2001-02 campaign with an 8-4 mark in dual meet competition. SDSU also went undefeated (3-0) in its first year of competition at the Aztec Aquaplex.
Prior to his arrival to "America's Finest City," Shrader spent eight seasons as the head coach of the women's swimming and diving team at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he established an impressive 89-12-1 overall record while leading the Wolf Pack to four NCAA championship appearances. Under his tutelage in 2007, Nevada posted a perfect 18-0 mark and captured the program's first Western Athletic Conference championship. After the flawless season, Shrader was named the WAC swimming coach of the year for the second time in his career. He previously earned the honor in 2002. Shrader made an immediate impact in his first year at Nevada in 1999-2000, guiding the Wolf Pack to its fifth consecutive Big West Conference title and a 13th-place finish at the NCAA championships. That squad boasted two-time national champion and NCAA record holder Limin Liu, in addition to four other All-Americans.
After his initial season, Shrader and the Pack made a smooth transition into the nationally competitive WAC. With Shrader at the helm of the program, Nevada won 10 or more dual meets and placed in the top three at the conference championships in each of his last six seasons, including the aforementioned first-place finish in 2007, as well as second-place performances in 2002, 2003 and 2006.
Before his stint at Nevada, Shrader was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. While at SMU, Shrader helped the team place in the top 12 at the NCAA championships three times. In the summer of 2005, Shrader served as an assistant coach with USA Swimming at the world championships that were held in Montreal, Canada. He coached the open water swim team to its best performance ever with the squad capturing a gold and two silver medals. In recognition of his coaching accomplishments, Shrader was a guest of honor at the 2005 Golden Goggle Awards in New York. He also received the 2005 Glenn S. Hummer Award, which is given to a person for outstanding committee service and the advancement of open water swimming in the United States at the USA Swimming convention.
Shrader also had a stellar swimming career himself, as he was a junior college national champion and a seven-time All-American while leading Midland College to a second-place finish at the junior college national championships. He continued his collegiate career at Texas A&M University where he earned all-Southwest Conference honors and was a senior national qualifier. Shrader earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Texas A&M in 1981, before finishing a master's degree in exercise and sports science from West Texas A&M University in 1991.
Shrader is married to his wife, Catherine, who enthusiastically serves the team as an announcer for home meets, along with her pancake breakfasts, which have become a team tradition.
The Shrader File
Hometown
Fort Worth, Texas
High School
Southwest
Alma Mater
Texas A&M (1981), West Texas A&M (1991)
Family
Wife - Catherine
Head Coaching Career
2007-Present
San Diego State
1999-2007
Nevada
| Shrader's Head Coaching Ledger | |||
| 1999-00 | Nevada | 6-1 | 1st (Big West Conference) |
| 2000-01 | Nevada | 5-3 | 4th (Western Athletic Conference) |
| 2001-02 | Nevada | 10-2 | 2nd (Western Athletic Conference) |
| 2002-03 | Nevada | 10-1 | 2nd (Western Athletic Conference) |
| 2003-04 | Nevada | 14-3 | 3rd (Western Athletic Conference) |
| 2004-05 | Nevada | 14-1 | 3rd (Western Athletic Conference) |
| 2005-06 | Nevada | 12-1-1 | 2nd (Western Athletic Conference) |
| 2006-07 | Nevada | 18-0 | 1st (Western Athletic Conference) |
| 2007-08 | San Diego State | 8-4 | 8th (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2008-09 | San Diego State | 9-6 | 6th (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2009-10 | San Diego State | 14-3 | 3rd (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2010-11 | San Diego State | 19-0 | 1st (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2011-12 | San Diego State | 16-0 | 2nd (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2012-13 | San Diego State | 10-1 | 1st (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2013-14 | San Diego State | 11-0 | 2nd (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2014-15 | San Diego State | 18-0 | 1st (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2015-16 | San Diego State | 11-1 | 3rd (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2016-17 | San Diego State | 8-0 | 2nd (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2017-18 | San Diego State | 11-1 | 2nd (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2018-19 | San Diego State | 13-0 | 1st (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2019-20 | San Diego State | 8-0 | 1st (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2020-21 | San Diego State | 4-0 | 3rd (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2021-22 | San Diego State | 12-0 | 1st (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2022-23 | San Diego State | 14-0 | 1st (Mountain West Conference) |
| 2023-24 | San Diego State | 15-0 | 1st (Mountain West Conference) |
| TOTAL | 302-28-1 | 10 Mountain West Conference Championships | |