Swimcloud
Milana Socha

Milana Socha

Head Coach

Milana Socha was hired as the next head coach of the Big Green men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams. “We as a department are extremely excited to welcome Milana back to Dartmouth!” Roby said. “She believes in the college and our students, and as an impressive leader and educator, she will make a lasting impact not only on our students but her colleagues as well.” An assistant coach for three years at Dartmouth from 2017-20, Socha spent the past two years as an assistant coach for the nationally ranked teams at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She served as the Wildcats’ lead coach for the butterfly and mid-distance training groups, coordinated all travel logistics and recruited high-caliber men and women both in the pool and in the classroom. In addition, Socha provided leadership for the team’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, and was a member of the Big Ten Equality Coalition as well as the athletic department’s JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) Education & Engagement Advisory Group. “Milana is an outstanding hire for Dartmouth,” said Katie Robinson, the Director of Swimming and Diving at Northwestern. “She has been paramount to our success here at Northwestern for the past two years in every aspect, from recruiting top-ranked classes to coaching numerous school records and NCAA performances. Additionally, and more importantly, she does it all while putting the person before the student-athlete by truly caring for each member on our team and exhibiting a high level of integrity. She will be a phenomenal leader at Dartmouth, and we wish her all the best.” During her original stint in Hanover, Socha served under former head coach Jamie Holder. Not only did she support the student-athletes on the team in and out of the pool by coordinating team training and practice planning, recruiting and fundraising, but she also implemented the “Why We Coach” program through Dartmouth Peak Performance. “Thank you to Peter Roby for his support of the swimming & diving program and his trust in my ability to lead this team,” Socha said. “Dartmouth is truly a special place with an incredible sense of community and student-athletes that chase excellence in all that they do. I am confident in the team’s potential to achieve great things in the future and look forward to bringing my passion and drive to the responsibility of this position. I’m excited to be returning to ‘The Woods’ and look forward to beginning this new chapter with the team.” Prior to arriving in Hanover, Socha spent the 2016-17 season as an assistant for the women’s swimming and diving team at the University of Toledo. She was in charge of recruiting, social media, dryland and spring training, coordinating travel and fundraising. In addition to her normal duties, she also coached a high school boys’ team during the summer. From 2014-16, she was the head assistant women’s coach at Smith College. She was also a teaching fellow for the undergraduate exercise physiology course and the interim strength and conditioning coach for four teams. In 2016, she received the CSCAA Jean Freeman Scholarship for her exceptional contributions to the swimming and diving program. The Chesterton, Indiana, native was a four-year letter winner at Carleton College in Minnesota, graduating with a degree in geology in 2014. Socha served as captain for the 2013-14 season and earned NCAA Division III All-America honorable mention honors in 2014. She was a 13-time all-conference selection in swimming and also lettered in cross country and track and field for two years. Socha earned her master’s in exercise science and sports studies from Smith in 2016.
Chris Hamilton

Chris Hamilton

Diving Coach

Chris Hamilton completed his 21st season as the men's and women's diving coach in 2019-20. In April of 2015, Hamilton was inducted into the Maine Hall of Fame for his accomplishments both on the diving board and as a coach. 2019-20: At Bates, Justin Sodokoff ’21 set new school and pool records and earned NCAA Zone cuts on both boards. Sodokoff ’21, Ray Neistat ’20 and Jonathan Hu ’23 competed at the Ivy League Championship. Sodokoff went on to the Zone A Championship and became the first Big Green diver to qualify for the NCAA Championship since 1999, making it on 3-meter. The championship was canceled due to COVID-19, but he was named CSCAA All-American on both boards. On the women's side, Isabella Lichen ’23, Maggie Pionzio ’20 and Cypress Toomey ’23 all competed at Ivies. 2018-19: Justin Sodokoff ’21 won on 1-meter against Yale and Penn and UConn, while he won on both boards at the Tate Ramsden Invite and set a new record on 3-meter. Sodokoff, Ray Neistat ’20 and AJ Krok ’19 competed at the Ivy League Championship and Krok received the Ron Keenhold Career High Point Diver at the end of the meet. On the women's team, Isabella Lichen ’23 was first on 1-meter against UNH and Bates, while Maggie Pionzio ’20 was first on both boards against UConn. 2016-17: AJ Krok ’19 competed in the A final on the 1-meter board at the Ivy League Championship, while Ray Neistat ’20 was in the B final. On 3-meter, Taylor Clough ’17 and Krok improved on their performances from prelims and earned a combined total of 50 points. This is the second time in two years that two Dartmouth divers finished in the top eight. On the women's side, Allison Green ’19, Maggie Pionzio ’20 and Allegra Codamon all competed on 1-meter. 2015-16: At Ivies, Brett Gillis ’16 placed earned a total of 48 points combined on 1- and 3-meter, while AJ Krok saw improvement from prelims on both boards. During her first trip to the Ivy Championship, Green ended up with 15 points after her performance on 1-meter. At the end of the meet, Gillis was named the Ron Keenhold Career High Point Diver for accumulating 189 points during his four years, the most of any senior diver at the meet. All three divers competed on both boards at the NCAA Zone Championship. During his two decades at Dartmouth, Hamilton has had 31 divers qualify for the NCAA Zone Championship. In the all-record book, 31 of the 40 records (1- and 3-meter boards for men and women) are held by his divers. Also on his list of accomplishment: when Erica Serpico ’13 won the 2010 Ivy Championship on 1meter, she earned first team All-Ivy honors as the Big Green's first champion since 1999. Hamilton has more than 20 years of coaching experience, having assisted for several years at the college level prior to Dartmouth. In New Haven, Connecticut, Hamilton coached at Albertus Magnus before moving on to Southern Connecticut State in 1996-97, where he coached six Division II All-America divers and one national champion. Hamilton was the head swimming and diving coach (1993-96) at Foran High School in Milford, Conn., and the girls' diving coach (1997) at Wilton (Conn.) High School. Before coming to Dartmouth, Hamilton was an assistant diving coach at Brandon (Fla.) Swim and Tennis Club, where he worked with the U.S. diving and summer camp divers. One of the divers he worked with is the 2005 NCAA Champion and Olympic Diver, Chris Colwill of Georgia. The summers from 2004 to 2006 summers he has worked at the University of Texas Longhorn diving camp. A 1995 graduate from Southern Connecticut State, Hamilton was an accomplished collegiate diver. In 1993, Hamilton was National Champion in the 1-meter and was named Division II "National Diver of the Year". He was a five time Division II All-America selection his final three years. He was named "New England Division I and II Diver of the Year" in 1993 and was also the New England Division I and II 3-meter champion in 1991 and 1993. Hamilton has an undergraduate degree in human performance and earned a master's degree in education from New Haven in 1998. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in White River Junction, Vt. with their children Tyler, Kyle and Caroline.
Freya Rayner

Freya Rayner

Assistant Coach

Head coach of Dartmouth men's and women's swimming and diving Milana Socha has announced the hiring of Freya Rayner as a new assistant coach for both the men's and women's programs. "Freya set herself apart in the application process with her intelligence, passion, and understanding of the elements it takes to be a great coach," Socha said. "She will have a positive impact on our student-athletes' abilities to reach their potential in the pool while creating meaningful relationships and helping them grow as people. Her competitive drive will be an asset as our team continues to build and her attention to detail and organization will help our staff manage the program at an elite level." Rayner previously spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons at Akron as an assistant coach and graduate assistant for the women's swimming and diving program, where she helped guide the Zips to back-to-back MAC titles. Akron athletes garnered a long list of accolades during Rayner's two years on the staff, including two All-America honors, eight program records, three conference records, 12 individual conference champions and 10 conference relay champions. The Zips landed the MAC Swimmer of the Year twice, along with consecutive MAC Coach of the Year honors for head coach Brian Peresie, during Rayner's tenure. A 2021 graduate of Ohio State, Rayner was a nine-time CSCAA All-American, including four All-America honors in the 200 free relay, during her decorated four years as a student-athlete. She was instrumental in the Buckeyes' back-to-back Big Ten titles over her final two seasons and was a five-time conference relay champion. "I am deeply grateful to Milana for placing her trust in me and to the rest of the coaching staff for being so welcoming," Rayner said. "It is a tremendous honor to work with athletes who embody exceptional academic achievements and great athletic prowess. I am thrilled about the prospects of advancing the team's success as we move forward together. Go Big Green!" "I extend my gratitude to the Akron coaching staff and athletes for providing me with a truly amazing two years and for creating an environment that allowed me to evolve and flourish as a person and a coach." Rayner hails from Sunderland, United Kingdom and earned a bachelor's degree in world literatures from Ohio State in 2021 before receiving her master's in coaching and administration from Akron in 2023.
JC

Jonathan Champagne

Assistant Coach

Head coach of Dartmouth men’s and women’s swimming and diving Milana Socha has announced the addition of Jonathan Champagne as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s programs. "I am excited to bring Jonathan onto our team,” Socha said. “His diverse experiences coaching club, masters, and college swimmers paired with his personal student-athlete Ivy League experience will help make him an asset and a great mentor to our student-athletes. Additionally, his level of professionalism set him apart and will be very helpful with our recruiting and behind-the-scenes administration of our team." Champagne joins the Big Green after serving as the interim men’s and women’s head coach at the University of Redlands (Calif.) during the 2022-23 season, and as the assistant coach during the 2021-2022 season for the Division III Bulldogs. Under his leadership, Redlands produced an NCAA Championship qualifier with Second Team All-America and Scholar All-America honors, as well as full Team Scholar All-America honors for both squads. As an assistant, he led three athletes to achieve NCAA B-Cut times, along with 43 personal bests at the SCIAC conference championship meet. “I am honored to join the Big Green and return to the Ivy League. Thank you to Coach Milana and the Dartmouth Athletics Staff for extending me this opportunity, and to the University of Redlands for an excellent coaching experience. I’m excited to bring my expertise and knowledge to the Big Green and look forward to propelling it to new horizons.” Prior to Redlands, Champagne spent time as club and masters coach at Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics in New York City for 5 years, as well as a senior development coach at Rocky Run YMCA in Media, PA. A 2013 graduate of Cornell, Champagne received his bachelor’s degree in economics and was a dual-sport athlete for the Big Red as a member of both the swimming and diving and track and field programs.