INDIANAPOLIS -- Bates College's
Peter Casares is the CSCAA NCAA Division III Men's Swimming Co-Coach of the Year, as announced Tuesday by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America.
In his 19th year at the helm of the program, Casares led the Bobcats to unprecedented heights, with the men's swimming team placing a program-best sixth at the NCAA Championships last week.
The Bobcats won two national titles, including the first relay to take first place at the national meet in program history. On Wednesday, the Bates 400-yard medley relay team of junior
Tim Johnson (Brewster, Mass.), senior captain
Marrich Somridhivej (South Windsor, Conn.), sophomore
Nate Oppenheim (Easton, Conn.), and senior captain
Max Cory (Dublin, Calif.) touched the wall in 3:08.43, winning the national championship and setting a new NCAA Division III record in the event.
Somridhivej followed that up by winning the national championship in the 100-yard breaststroke on Friday in a NESCAC-record time of 51.82 seconds, the second-fastest mark in NCAA Division III history.
Overall, the Bates men's swimming team tallied 185 points, good for sixth in the country out of 46 scoring teams.
Casares shares NCAA Division III Men's Swimming Co-Coach of the Year honors with Denison's Gregg Parini, as the Big Red won their seventh NCAA team title.
This is just the latest accolade for the long-time Bates coach, as Casares and his assistants were also named the NESCAC Men's Swimming Coaching Staff of the Year.
Coach Casares is highly regarded in the swimming community, both as a former Division III All-American swimmer and as a dedicated coach and recruiter. His leadership, expertise, and passion for the sport have brought both enthusiasm and national recognition to the Bates program. In 2014, Casares was inducted into the Hall of Honor at his alma mater, Gettysburg College.
"Finishing in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships is something I promised the team we would do 19 years ago during my first team meeting when we were 11th in NESCAC," Casares said. "Now, that day is here and I couldn't be prouder of these men."
