TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head swimming and diving coach Josh Christensen announced the addition of Chris Bals to the Sycamore coaching staff on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Bals joins the Sycamores by way of Ball State University where he served on the Cardinals coaching staff since 2018. Bals first served as a graduate assistant from 2018-20, before taking on the role of assistant coach prior to the start of the 2020-21 season.
 
"We've very excited to have Chris joining our program," Christensen said. "He's gained some excellent experience over the last few years at Ball State. Chris is passionate about the sport, very plugged into swimming in Indiana, and he's excited about the trajectory of our program. Most importantly he's committed to investing in student-athletes so they can grow as people through their time here at ISU. He's an outstanding fit for our program."
 
Bals takes the place of departed assistant coach Nikki Finnesand who left the program to pursue other professional opportunities outside the coaching field.
 
"I am thrilled to be joining the Indiana State coaching staff," Bals said. "I look forward to arriving on campus and start working with Josh and the team to continue the successful development and performance of Indiana State Swimming & Diving."
 
Over his time at Ball State, Bals helped guide the Cardinals to top-five finishes in the last four seasons with the men's program, as well as a fifth-place result in 2020-21 on the women's side. The Cardinals have received Academic All-American honors in each of his four years on staff, while 34 school records were broken during his tenure.
 
Bals served as the primary coach for both the breaststroke and individual medley at Ball State and helped guide several standout performers. He coached two-time MAC Champion Joey Garberick to the 100-yard Breaststroke title, while guiding three breaststrokers (two women, one male) to U.S. Open qualifying times.
 
Additionally, Bals signed a number of key recruits with the Ball State swimming and diving program over his coaching tenure. He helped recruit and sign numerous top-10 ranked athletes in Indiana and neighboring states, while also coordinating and implementing activities for all visits.
 
Prior to joining the Ball State coaching staff, Bals was a standout collegiate swimmer at Purdue University. A four-year letterwinner for the Boilermakers, Bals finished his career ranked fourth in program history in the 100 breaststroke (53.24) and fifth in the 200 breaststroke (1:57.14). He also accounted for 59 team points at the Big Ten Championships over his career.
 
A 2018 graduate of Purdue with a degree in accounting, Bals was a 2018 recipient of the prestigious Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship. He finished his collegiate career as a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a three-time College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Honorable Mention.
 
Bals added his MBA from Ball State in December 2020.
 
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