Contract released for new UK swim coach, after previous one resigned amid investigation
The contract details have been made public for Kentucky’s most recent head coaching hire.
In July, UK hired Bret Lundgaard to lead its men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs.
Formerly the Princeton University women’s swimming and diving head coach, Lundgaard arrived in Lexington amid a time of turmoil.
Lundgaard took over for former UK swimming and diving head coach Lars Jorgensen, who resigned in late June after a report from SwimSwam.com said Jorgensen — who had led the UK program since the 2013-14 season — had been suspended due to an NCAA investigation.
(Also according to that SwimSwam report, several assistant coaches at UK were suspended and associate head coach Michael Camper resigned).
While Lundgaard was publicly announced as the next UK swimming and diving head coach on July 24, his contract was not posted to UK’s Office of Legal Counsel website until recently.
Lundgaard’s contract at UK runs from July 25, 2023, until June 30, 2028. He will receive the following annual pay:
▪ From July 25, 2023 to June 30, 2024: $186,200.
▪ From July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025: $193,700.
▪ From July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026: $201,200.
▪ From July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027: $208,700.
▪ From July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028: $216,200.
Each year, $5,000 of Lundgaard’s pay will come from multimedia rights and other “university agreements.” UK enters into agreements for exclusive TV, radio and digital deals in addition to contracting with suppliers of athletic gear and equipment.
If Kentucky was to fire Lundgaard without cause during this contract, the school would owe him all of his remaining base salary, which doesn’t include the annual $5,000 from university agreements.
Per the terms of Lundgaard’s contract, UK would not owe him any remaining salary if he was to be fired for cause.
Among the circumstances that would constitute a for-cause firing are level 1 or level 2 violations of NCAA or SEC rules, failure to follow written university policies and procedures, acts of misconduct, failure to comply with an NCAA investigation, violating the NCAA’s sports wagering policy, engaging in conduct that would embarrass the university or harm a student athlete and failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance as head coach.
For comparison, Jorgensen’s last UK contract (which was set to run through the 2024-25 school year) was to pay him $197,500 for the 2023-24 school year and $205,000 for the 2024-25 school year.
Prior to the late-June announcement that Jorgensen had resigned, the school and Jorgensen reached a financial settlement that would pay Jorgensen $75,000.
That settlement agreement, which was obtained by the Herald-Leader through the state’s open records law, specified that the agreement did not constitute an admission of any “fault, liability, violation or wrongdoing” by either party.
Possible bonuses on the table for Bret Lundgaard
Interestingly, Lundgaard’s contract was not signed by the three parties involved — Lundgaard, UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart and UK’s office of the president — until late September, after the UK women’s swimming and diving team had already competed in a meet this season.
“Coach Lundgaard’s teams have demonstrated championship performance in the pool and in the classroom while sharing our vision for development of student-athletes in all areas of their lives,” Barnhart said in a news release when Lundgaard was announced as head coach.
“There is a clear commitment to helping these student-athletes become their best versions as people, students and athletes, and I am motivated to partner with them and compete at the highest levels this sport offers,” added Lundgaard in the same news release.
Prior to his time at Princeton, Lundgaard spent five years as an assistant coach and the director of recruiting at Tennessee. He swam collegiately at Washington.
Lundgaard’s contract includes several performance-based bonuses that he could trigger each contract year.
Some of those potential bonuses include:
▪ SEC meet team championship: $20,000.
▪ NCAA championship team finish between 21st and 25th: $5,000.
▪ NCAA championship team finish between 16th and 20th: $10,000.
▪ NCAA championship team finish between 11th and 15th: $15,000.
▪ NCAA championship team finish between fifth and 10th: $20,000.
▪ NCAA championship team finish fourth place: $25,000.
▪ NCAA championship team finish third place: $27,500.
▪ NCAA championship team finish second place: $30,000.
▪ NCAA championship team finish first place: $35,000.
These possible bonuses are not cumulative, but Lundgaard can earn separate bonuses for each of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving team, as well as an additional bonus for winning the SEC meet team title.
Last season, Kentucky finished third at the women’s SEC championships and eighth at the men’s SEC championships.
Then-freshman Levi Sandidge was a standout for the Cats, becoming the first Kentucky male swimmer since 2006 to win a gold medal at the SEC championships.
Sandidge won his gold in the 1,650 (yards) freestyle, and went on to be named a first-team All-American in that event as the UK men finished 28th at the NCAA championships.
The UK women finished 19th at the NCAA championships.
