A Canadian Youth and Junior National Champion who competed at two Olympic Trials, Andrew Dragunas, Ph.D., was announced as Lycoming College's head swimming coach on Dec. 10, 2020.
At Vassar, Dragunas made a quick impact as an assistant coach, as he and head coach Lisl Prater-Lee and diving coach Mitchell Katz combined to win the Liberty League Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year award in 2020, as the Brewers finished fourth at both the men’s and women’s championships.
Dragunas arrived at Vassar following a three-year stint as the assistant swimming & diving coach at Oswego State University. With the Lakers, he helped both programs grow and become a dominant force in the SUNYAC. On the men's side, Oswego went 25-5 during his tenure, going from fifth at the SUNYAC Championships to second in 2018. On the women's side, he helped lead the Lakers to a 19-11 mark in dual meet action, rising from eighth to third at the championships.
Dragunas began his coaching career at the Pointe-Claire Swim Club in Quebec in 2005. Under his guidance, his swimmers reached the podium at regional, state, and National Age-Group Championship levels. Later, Dragunas studied swimming biomechanics at Western University and assisted Canadian Olympic Coach Paul Midgley with the university’s swim team. As an assistant coach and biomechanist with the university swimming team, Dragunas worked with the sprint program and their Canadian Junior and Senior national team members.
A native of Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Dragunas was the 200-meter butterfly champion at the 1997 Canadian Youth Championships (2:09.89, LCM) and the 2000 Canadian Junior National Championships (2:05.91, LCM). A four-year letterwinner at East Carolina University for legendary coach Rick Kobe, Dragunas set freshman and school records in the 200-yard butterfly (1:50.94) and was named the team’s Rookie of the Year in 2002. He also competed at Canadian Olympic Trials in 2000 and 2004.
Dragunas received a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from East Carolina University in 2005. He completed a Master of Science in Kinesiology in 2009 and a Doctorate in 2015 with a thesis in swimming biomechanics, from Western University. Additionally, he has published several peer-reviewed publications focused on swimming technique and training.
