7-Time NSISC Swimming Coach of the Year (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
Philip Kraus has established the University of West Florida women’s swimming & diving program as one of the elite NCAA Division II programs in the nation since being named head coach in July 2018. With more than three decades of coaching experience at the country club, club, middle school, high school and collegiate levels, Kraus has guided the Argonauts to consistent championship success, record-setting performances, and national recognition.
Under Kraus’ leadership, UWF has captured seven consecutive New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference (NSISC) Championships from 2019-20 through 2025-26. During the 2026 NSISC Championships Kraus was again named NSISC Swimming Coach of the Year marking his 7
th consecutive award.
Kraus has led the Argonauts to multiple top 12 finishes at the NCAA Division II Championships, including a 6
th place finish in 2024 and a 4
th place finish in 2026. His teams have produced numerous NCAA All-Americans, All-America honorable mentions, conference champions, school-record performances, and multiple academic accolades while continuing UWF’s tradition of Building Champions for Life.
Below is the list of achievements during Kraus’s tenure.
Athletic Achievements
- NCAA National Champions and Division II Record Holders - 3
- Agata Naskret – 100 Backstroke (:50.91) & 200 Backstroke (1:52.90)
- 400 Medley Relay – Agata Naskret, Alena Rozova, Livia Rodrigues & Sofia Kendzior (3:35.21)
- CSCAA All-American Performances – 198 Total (79 First Team & 119 Second Team/Honorable Mention)
- Lead the Nation in 2024 with 14 Athletes Receiving Recognition
- NSISC Champions – 7 Consecutive years
- Largest Margin of Victory All Time - 407 points in 2023
- NSISC Swim Performer of the Year - 4
- NSISC Swimmer of the Year - 5
- NSISC Individual Swim Event Champions - 58
- NSISC Relay Champions - 15
- All NSISC Team Awards (1st & 2nd) - 143
- University of West Florida Records
- Varsity - 13 (8 Individual & 5 Relay)
- Freshman - 13
Academic Achievements
- NCAA Elite 90 Award Winner - Women’s Swimming - Brooke Dorr
- Top Academic Swimmer at the 2024 NCAA Championship
- CSCAA Scholar All-American Team Accolades - 16 continuous semesters (3.65 Average)
- Minimum 3.5 GPA - 3.81 GPA in the Fall of 2020 led the Nation for DII & Program Record a 3.84
- CSCAA Individual Scholar All-Americans Awards - 99
- Minimum 3.5 GPA – Compete at NCAA Championships or achieve a NCAA B standard.
- CSC Academic All-American Awards - 10
- CSC Academic All-District Awards - 14
- NSISC Scholar All-Conference Awards - 199
Prior to joining UWF, Kraus built a nationally respected reputation as head coach and CEO of the Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club (GPAC), where he developed six swimmers to Senior National Time Standards, 16 to Junior National Time Standards and 29 swimmers to Senior Sectionals Time Standards. Eight GPAC athletes have also been named to USA Swimming's Scholastic All-America Teams, onto the Open Water SES Zone Team and numerous athletes to the SES Zone Team. Additionally, Kraus was selected to coach at USA Swimming's Zone Select Camp in the Spring of 2010 and as the Southeastern Swimming Coach of the Year in 2015.
Before his arrival in Pensacola, he was the Assistant Men's and Women's Swim Coach at the University of South Carolina from 2005-07. During that period, the Gamecocks recorded top 40 finishes at the NCAA Championships for both the men's and women's programs. A total of six Gamecocks earned All-America accolades during that time as well.
From 2001-05 he was an Assistant Coach at Miami University (Ohio). His duties included serving as the recruiting and travel coordinator as well as heading up the sprint group. The RedHawks won the Mid-American Conference Championships in all four seasons he served as an assistant, along with posting an incredible 49-5 (.907) overall dual record and a 32-0 mark against conference foes.
Also during Kraus' tenure, the RedHawks broke 12 school records and achieved nine NCAA "B" cuts. Miami had an individual compete at the 2003 NCAA Division I Championships and another who competed at the 2004 Olympic Trials. In addition, the team did well academically as they were named an Academic All-American team every semester by the College Swim Coaches Association of America. Individually, 14 women's athletes were named to All-Conference teams, seven were named to Academic All-Conference teams, five were named Academic All-Americans and one was a CoSIDA Academic All-District IV First Team selection.
Kraus spent two years as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois from 1999-2001. Kraus' duties included coordinating recruiting, team workouts, travel, and fundraising. In his time there, the Husky men's and women's teams combined to have a co-MAC Swimmer of the Year and five All-MAC selections, while setting 15 school records. In Kraus' last year in DeKalb, the NIU men posted their second-best record (11-3) in team history.
Kraus has had eight seasons of success as a Division I assistant coach. All together he mentored 19 All-Conference competitors, 17 individual Conference event winners, eight NCAA Qualifiers, three Olympic Trial Qualifiers, five All-Americans, eight Academic All-conference selections and five Academic All-Americans.
From 1997-99, Kraus was the head swimming and diving coach at Lebanon High School. In that time, he tutored five state qualifiers, two academic all-state selections, and three school records were broken under his watch. Kraus also was head swimming coach at Woodland Country Club, which under his tutelage won the Interclub Championship in 1996, the first time the club accomplished the feat in 25 years.
A four-year letter winner at Ball State and was named Academic All-MAC twice as a Cardinal. Kraus graduated in 1997 with a degree in Secondary Education and I minor in Teaching/Coaching Aquatics.
Kraus and his wife, Anne, live in Pensacola with their son Kouper.
