Dan Schinnerer, who was named the Patriot League Men’s Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2010 and the Women’s Coach of the Year in 2013, enters his twelfth season as the head men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach at Bucknell in 2017-18.
In his first eight seasons at the helm of the Bison, 18 school records fell on the men’s side (200 free, 500 free, 1,000 free, 1,650 free, 100 back, 200 back, 100 breast, 200 breast, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM, 400 IM, three-meter diving and five relays) and the squad has captured 10 individual and one relay title at the Patriot League Championships. The Bucknell men have finished in the top four at the league meet in each of Schinnerer’s first eight seasons. Four different swimmers (Mark Kawczenski, Mike Nicholson, Eric Sokolosky, Luke Trafton) have combined for 10 individual Patriot League titles under Schinnerer’s tutelage.
Under Schinnerer’s direction, the women’s team produced 10 all-league performers on the way to a second-place finish at the Patriot League Championships in his first year. In three of the last seven seasons, Schinnerer has led the women to runner-up finishes at the league championships and the squad has had eight consecutive top-three showings under his leadership. New records have been set in 20 events during Schinnerer’s tenure.
The Bucknell women are coming off a pair of outstanding campaigns that have featured back-to-back second-place finishes at the Patriot League Championships. The Bison have won 10 individual Patriot League titles and had 18 All-Patriot League selections over that span. Additionally, Bucknell’s eight dual-meet wins in 2013-14 were its most since 1997-98, and the Bison were undefeated (6-0) against Patriot League opponents.
Prior to becoming the frontman for the Bison in the summer of 2006, the 2001 Yale graduate was an assistant coach with Michigan’s nationally ranked men’s swimming team. Schinnerer had been associated with the vaunted Michigan program since 2003, first as a volunteer assistant and then as a full-time assistant coach beginning in July 2004. Over his last three seasons the Wolverines finished fifth, sixth and eighth, respectively, at the NCAA Championships, and in each of his final two years they produced two NCAA individual champions.
Schinnerer, who served as the team’s recruiting coordinator and budget administrator, designed and implemented the training program for the sprint and breaststroke group. He was able to work with Olympic-caliber swimmers, including Michigan student assistant coach Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all-time with 22 career medals. Four Michigan swimmers competed on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team. The Wolverines placed five swimmers with Michigan ties on the 2005 USA World Championship Team, and the Club Wolverine squad swept the men’s, women’s and combined titles at the national championships in the summer of 2006.
At Michigan, Schinnerer apprenticed under a pair of legendary head coaches in Jon Urbanchek and Bob Bowman.
Schinnerer was also heavily involved in Michigan’s highly regarded summer swimming camp program, where he mentored both girls and boys aged 9-18. As assistant camp director and head coach of the intensive camp, he worked with many top young swimmers on stroke technique and training principles.
At Yale, Schinnerer was a four-year swimming letterman, where he graduated in 2001 with a bachelor of arts degree in history. As a member of the Bulldogs swimming team, he was a Senior Nationals qualifier and was the recipient of the William Leeming Jellife Award for "greatest progress and development in swimming ability and outstanding leadership during his college years."
The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native went on to teach history and serve as assistant swimming coach at The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey. He helped Peddie to an Eastern Interscholastic Prep School girls’ title in 2002 and a boys’ championship in 2003. Schinnerer coached multiple NISCA All-Americans, U.S. Open qualifiers and senior national qualifiers at Peddie.
At Bucknell, Schinnerer took over a storied Bison swimming and diving program that has excelled since moving into the state-of-the-art Kinney Natatorium in 2002-03. Bucknell’s women captured four straight Patriot League championships from 2003-2006, while the Bison men won the title in 2003 and have finished among the top three teams regularly over the past eight seasons. The Bucknell men won the 1964 NCAA College Division championship and have won 18 conference titles since 1960.
Schinnerer resides in Lewisburg with his wife Lesia, and their sons Kase and Erik.