Coaches

Bob Sorensen

Head Coach

Having completed 27 seasons on the deck, New York University men’s swimming head coach Bob Sorensen has built the Violets into a force to be reckoned with within the Division III waters. He has posted a 166-110 career record and has coached 24 NCAA qualifiers and 17 All-Americans.

Sorensen guided NYU to its finest showing ever in 2006-07: a 10-1 dual-meet record that established a team mark for victories in a season. The Violets won a third consecutive Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship, tied a program-best with a second-place finish at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, and finished an all-time best 15th at the NCAA Championships.

Six Violets qualified for the NCAA’s and combined to set eight school records. Five of them earned All-America honors. The 400-freestyle relay team (fifth) and 800-freestyle relay team (eighth) earned All-America honors, while junior Brad Thornton (200-yard individual medley), sophomores Paul Hogan (1,650-yard freestyle) and Andrew Lardiere (100- and 200-yard freestyle), and the 200-yard freestyle relay team all garnered Honorable Mention All-America status. In addition to Hogan, Lardiere and Thornton, the trio of junior Christopher Wolff, sophomore Eric Wang and freshman Eric Pcholinski qualified for the Nationals.

NYU enjoyed similar success at the UAA Championships, setting six school records while making 11 NCAA “B” cuts. The 100-freestyle relay team (sophomore Ben Barnes, Lardiere, Pcholinski, Thornton) and the 400-freestyle relay team (Pcholinski, Thornton, Wolff, and Lardiere) each proved triumphant, while Lardiere won the 50-yard freestyle.

Overall, 11 team records were set last season, while 14 of Sorensen’s student-athletes received UAA Winter Sport All-Academic honors.

Sorensen’s teams have notched a 27-4 dual-meet record over the past three seasons, have posted six consecutive winning seasons, and have had NCAA qualifiers in 16 of the last 17 seasons, including each of the past seven campaigns.

Sorensen began his coaching career at the Boy’s Club of Queens, and two years later became coach at Mater Christi High School, his alma mater. While there, Sorensen also served as an assistant coach at the Flushing YMCA. He has also served as President and Vice President of the Metropolitan Collegiate Swimming Conference.

In addition to his coaching duties at NYU, Sorensen serves as the Natatorium Manager for the Palladium Athletic Facility. He instructs classes in swimming, lifeguard training, CPR, and First Aid.

A 1974 graduate of St. John’s University with a degree in political science, Sorensen co-captained the Red Storm’s swim team and was a Metropolitan Conference Champion in the 200-yard butterfly. He also earned a master’s degree in physical education at Teachers College of Columbia University in 1982.

A native of Astoria, NY, Sorensen and his family reside in Brooklyn.

Bob Sorensen Record
Year
W
L
Pct.
UAA
Finish
1980-81
2
8
.200
1981-82
4
7
.364
1982-83
4
5
.444
1983-84
5
7
.417
1984-85
9
3
.750
1985-86
6
3
.667
1986-87
9
4
.692
1987-88
9
4
.692
7th
1988-89
5
7
.417
6th
1989-90
6
4
.600
7th
1990-91
6
4
.600
5th
1991-92
6
2
.750
3rd
1992-93
4
4
.500
6th
1993-94
5
3
.625
6th
1994-95
3
8
.273
6th
1995-96
6
5
.545
6th
1996-97
8
3
.727
4th
1997-98
5
2
.714
4th
1998-99
8
3
.717
4th
1999-00
5
5
.500
6th
2000-01
4
5
.444
5th
2001-02
7
3
.700
5th
2002-03
6
4
.600
5th
2003-04
7
3
.700
5th
2004-05
9
2
.818
3rd
2005-06
8
1
.889
2nd
2006-07
10
1
.909
2nd
Totals
166
110
.601

Christian Cantwell

Assistant

After helping the NYU men’s swimming team achieve its greatest success in 2006-07, Christian Cantwell returns for his second season as an assistant coach. He works primarily with the team’s stroke, spring, distance, and middle-distance swimmers, while also aiding with recruiting.

Cantwell’s first season at NYU proved memorable, as the Violets won a school-record 10 dual meets and captured their third straight Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship. In addition, his tutelage helped the Violets’ 400-meter freestyle (fifth) and 800-meter freestyle (eighth) relay teams earn NCAA Division III All-America status. Overall, five NYU swimmers earned All-America honors last year as the Violets finished an all-time best 15th in the nation. Eight team records were set at the NCAA’s, while 11 were established over the course of the season.

Prior to his arrival at NYU, Cantwell served as the assistant coach for the National Development Team (15-18) of the Camden County (NJ) YMCA from 2004-06. While there, he was responsible for all aspects of training and development. From 2002-05, Cantwell also taught stroke and turn clinics for all age groups of the U.S. Swimming Jersey Wahoos Swim Club.

A 2003 graduate of Auburn University with a degree in communication, Cantwell qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly and was a four-time senior national finalist in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly. A member of the Tigers’ 1999 NCAA Division I National Championship team, he also helped the program capture four Southeastern Conference titles (1999-2002).

Prior to achieving collegiate success, Cantwell was a two-time New Jersey State Champion at Cherry Hill West High School, where he also earned high school All-America honors.

Cantwell, who also serves as the Assistant Natatorium Manager at NYU’s Palladium Athletic Facility, is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and resides in Manhattan.

B.J. Gasperoni

Assistant

B.J. Gasperoni, who has completed eight seasons as an assistant coach with the New York University men’s swimming team, works mainly with the distance swimmers and assists with dry-land workouts.

During his tenure on deck, the Violets’ program has reached its loftiest heights.

In each of the last two seasons, NYU has finished second at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, the program’s best showings ever. The Violets have also won three straight Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships. A large part of this success can be credited to Gasperoni’s role in developing Paul Hogan, a four-time NCAA All-American.

“B.J. has helped our program rise to national prominence ever since he joined our staff,” said NYU head coach Bob Sorensen. “He has done an excellent job with our team, especially the distance swimmers. He brings national-level experience to our program.”

Last season, the Violets went 10-1 in dual meets, set the team mark for victories, and finished a program-best 15th at the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships. In 2005-06, Gasperoni was a part of the NYU corps that earned UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

Gasperoni, a former nationally ranked U.S.S. and collegiate swimmer, graduated from Colby College in 1992 with a degree in philosophy. A former swimmer for the Mules, he established team records in the 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard freestyles. In 1988, Gasperoni qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

A seven-time World Master’s Swimming Champion, Gasperoni earned a graduate degree at Waseda University in Japan, where he studied Japanese. While there, he was an editor at a major Tokyo publishing house.

Aside from his coaching duties at NYU, Gasperoni is also head of marketing for a music magazine in midtown Manhattan.

A native of Beverly, Massachusetts, Gasperoni resides on Manhattan’s lower east side.

Scott Donie

Diving Coach

In Scott Donie’s seven seasons at New York University, Violet divers have earned 11 NCAA All-America accolades.

Last season, Abigail Penn became his first female diver to earn All-America accolades, placing 16th in the three-meter dive at the NCAA Championships. That was especially significant considering that Penn had never dove prior to testing the waters at NYU. Penn’s efforts helped Donie earn Co-Diving Coach of the Meet honors at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships.

Under Donie’s guidance, Baron Poitier earned All-America honors six times, including twice each in 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03. Joseph Grey became a two-time All-American in 2001-02. Meanwhile, Scott Brateng ranked among the nation’s elite by placing eighth in the three-meter dive and 16th in the one-meter springboard at the 2003-04 NCAA Championships.

The ECAC accolade was just the latest for Donie, who has helped NYU earn four UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors during his tenure (women: 2002, 2005, 2006; men: 2006).

When Donie arrived at NYU prior to the 2000-01 campaign, he brought with him impressive credentials. A 1992 and 1996 United States Olympian, Donie was the silver medalist in the 10-meter platform dive at the ’92 Games in Barcelona, Spain. He was also a three-time NCAA Division I Champion at Southern Methodist University, winning both the three-meter springboard and 10-meter platform dives in 1990. Donie also triumphed in the 10-meter platform dive in 1989.

Donie, who trained for several years under the direction of former U.S. Olympic Coach Ron O’Brien, served as an assistant coach at the University of Miami from 1993-96 and helped produce three NCAA National Champions.

A native of Somerset, New Jersey, Donie currently resides in Manhattan with his wife Kaili and daughter Lucy.