Coach David Bresser comes to USM with years of coaching experience—including sixteen years as head coach for girl’s swimming and assistant coach for boy’s swimming at Lansing High School (Lansing, Kan.). In both 2015 and 2017, the girl’s team took the league championship and the boy’s earned the title in 2017. Bresser has coached every male and female swimming record holder at Lansing and Basehor-Linwood High Schools. He’s also coached multiple state medalists, including the first relay team to make the podium at the Kansas high school state meet, the first individual state champions (both boys and girls), and the first relay state champions (both boys and girls). In 2017 and 2021, he was named “Kansas High School Swim Coach of the Year.” The Lansing Girls team won state in 2026 becoming the first high school north of I-70 to win the swim championships.

In addition to his success at Lansing High School, Bresser started the Lansing Sea Lions Swim Club in 2016, leading a swim team of over 140 6-18 year-olds. He holds a Level 3 Masters Coach Certification with U.S. Masters Swimming. Bresser earned his Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy, where he swam varsity for four years and was named team captain his senior year. He was a two-time Patriot League Champion in the 400 IM and selected for the Patriot League All-Decade Team (1990s). He swam at the World Military Championships in Rome and the World Masters Championships in 2006—winning medals in both the 400 IM and the 800 Free.

Since starting the Saint Mary Men’s and Women’s teams in 2018, the program continues to experience success in the pool and beyond.  The team has sent swimmers to the NAIA National Championships every year including 5 swimmers earning All-American status.  The team has been named KCAC Swim Team Champion of Character 8 times.  The women’s team was named the KCAC conference Team Champion of Character in 2021 and the men’s team in 2026 for all sports.  Both the men and women have had the #1 overall team GPA in the NAIA.  The team has been recognized as a National Scholar team every semester since the team started.  The team has over 40 Academic All-Americans and over 50 NAIA National Scholar Athletes.  

Coach Bresser serves as the Campus Champions of Character Liaison for USM to the NAIA.  He has ensured the University of Saint Mary has been recognized as a Champion of Character Five-Star Institution with Gold Status by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. This marks the 16th consecutive year.

He holds a Master of Arts in Business Management from Webster University and his Master of Military Arts & Sciences in Strategic Planning from the Command & General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.

For nearly 25 years, Bresser served as an officer in the United States Army in a variety of assignments across the world as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter aviator and strategic planner. His deployments include Bosnia-Herzogovina, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa.  His awards include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, and Army Commendation (with Valor).

Originally from Kentucky (near the Cincinnati area) where he was a high school state champion in the 200 Free, he and his wife, Devon, now call Lansing home. His 3 adult children are employed throughout the Midwest.