Chris Hamstra will enter his 3rd season as Head Swimming and Diving Coach in the Fall of 2025.
Alma College Athletics named Chris Hamstra as Head Swimming and Diving Coach on October 31, 2023.
In 2024-25, Hamstra's first full season back at the lead of the program, Alma finished 5th in the MIAA on both the men's and women's sides. Ryan Gray and Megan Neeley swept the conference's Seinor Impact Awards, and Eli Mull grabbed a 2nd place finish in the 1650 freestyle. Alma also broke five records, as well as one Alma College pool record during the season. The Scots posted two dual wins on the men's side, and the women grabbed four dual meet victories. The women's two MIAA dual meet wins mark the first time that Alma has one multiple in-conference duals since the 14-15 season. The last time that the Scots women won four duals in a season on record was 1997-98. The highlight was a 137-94 victory over Kalamazoo College, just the second time that Alma's women had defeated Kalamazoo in program history, and the first since the 1993-94 season.
Hamstra returned in the midst of the 2023-24 season, following a 4-year run at Division II University of Sioux Falls. His impact was felt immediately, as Alma was propelled to 5th place finishes at the MIAA Championships on both the men's and women's sides. In his shortened time with the team, Hamstra coached 23 All-Time Top 10 performances, and 7 new records, 5 individuals and 2 relays. Hamstra also registered his 1st dual meet win back with the program on January 27th, 2024, when both the men and the women picked up wins over The University of Olivet.
In his time at Sioux Falls, Hamstra helped to push the young program to new heights, with his 2022-23 team finishing ranked 26th in DII.
Prior to USF, Hamstra was on the coaching staff at Saginaw Valley State University. During his time there, the women's team finished as high as 42nd at the NCAA Division II Championships.
Before joining the SVSU staff, Hamstra served as Alma College's Head Swimming and Diving Coach from 2007-13. During his time at Alma, he coached a pair of DIII All-Americans, five All-MIAA swimmers, and one MIAA Diver of the Year. Alma broke 40 school records, and had over 125 All-Time top 10 performances.
Hamstra graduated from Hope College with a bachelor's degree in accounting and went on to earn his masters in sports administration from Central Michigan University.
