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Brad Burnham

Brad Burnham

Just the third coach in the history of Bowdoin men's swimming (and second for the women's team) Brad Burnham has led the program since 2000.

During his tenure, Burnham has guided the Polar Bears to numerous outstanding seasons and several All-American honors in one of the most competitive conferences in Division III swimming. With numerous All-Americans and virtually every school record broken during his tenure, Burnham's reputation for maximizing individual swimmers' potential is among the best in the nation. The Polar Bear women have had a winning record in dual matches every season since 2011 while the men have a winning mark in nine of the last 13 years. With the Polar Bears consistently ranking in the top half at the conference championships annually, Burnham was named the NESCAC Women's Swimming Coach of the Year in 2015. 

Prior to Bowdoin, Burnham was involved in all aspects of running a Division I swim program while an assistant at UCLA. He assisted in technique development and race strategy while also overseeing daily workouts, overall season planning, budgeting and recruiting. During his six years at UCLA, Burnham helped the Bruins finish no worse than 16th place at the NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships. During his time at UCLA, Burnham worked with over 40 All-Americans.

Before joining UCLA, Burnham received his Master's in Exercise Physiology from Colorado State University. While earning his degree, Burnham also worked as a graduate assistant swim coach and a graduate teaching assistant in his field. During the summer,Burnham worked at the prestigious Stanford Swim Camp as a counselor and coach. 

During his coaching career, Burnham has worked with three Olympic swimmers. While at Colorado State, he helped train Amy Van Dyken,who earned four gold medals at the 1996 games in Atlanta. At UCLA,he worked with Annette Salmeen, who also won a gold medal at Atlanta. At Bowdoin, he has coached Emilie Grand'Pierre, who competed in the 2020 (2021) Olympics for Haiti. 

Burnham graduated from the University of Maine in 1992 with a Bachelor's of Science in Physical Education and Health Fitness. A Dean's List student, Burnham was the captain of the Black Bears' swim team his senior year.