Coaching Staff
Scott Whitbeck
Head Coach
Scott Whitbeck begins his first season as the head men's and women's swim coach. Whitbeck comes to SUNY New Paltz after two years as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts.
In two years at NCAA Division I UMass, Whitbeck assisted the Minutemen with all aspects of running a perennially successful Atlantic 10 program including training, stroke technique, recruiting and meet preparation. The men's team won the Atlantic 10 championship both seasons while the women finished second and fourth. Twelve varsity records were set during his two seasons as an assistant.
Prior to UMASS, Whitbeck served as the assistant coach/aquatics director at the College of Wooster for two seasons where he coached the 2005 NCAA Champion in the 1650 Free. In addition, he spearheaded the recruitment of fifty athletes to the program, maintained the aquatic facility, and directed a triathlon. Whitbeck has worked three summers as a swim counselor at the University of Michigan Swim Camps and assisted the NCAA Div. III meet director in running the NCAA Swim Championships in 2005, 2006 and most recently in 2008.
Whitbeck spent four seasons on the varsity swim team at Kalamazoo College where he was a 12-time NCAA All-American, three-time NCAA Academic All-American, named team captain, and elected as the team's Most Valuable Swimmer in 2004. In addition to swimming, he also earned an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship and a Charles Monroe departmental award in Economics. Since graduation, Whitbeck has stayed active in swimming through US Masters, winning two open water National Championships and currently holds the 3000 yard freestyle national record.
Whitbeck received a bachelor's degree from Kalamazoo in 2004 and completed two master degree programs; one in Business Administration and the other in Sports Management, at UMASS in 2008.
Contact Scott Whitbeck at ext. 2671 or whitbecs@newpaltz.edu.
Lauren O'Donnell
Assistant Coach
Lauren O'Donnell enters her second season as the assistant coach of the Hawks. O'Donnell spent the 2007-08 season as the assistant women's coach and helped guide the team to a 17th place finish at the NCAA Div. III Championships.
Prior to New Paltz, O'Donnell served as the Assistant Women's Swim Coach for The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) for two and half years. In addition, she was the graduate assistant for the aquatic center.
O'Donnell was a four-year letter winner with TCNJ. She earned two All-America honors, was the 2001 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Rookie of the Year and the Metropolitan (MET) Conference Most Outstanding Freshman. O’Donnell was a member of the record-setting 200 and 400 medley relays as well as the 200 and 400 free relays.
For the past four years, she was the assistant coach for the Eastern Express Swim Club, where she was responsible for leading practices for swimmers ages 6-12. Since 2001, O'Donnell has worked the Nike Swim Camp, where she coaches athletes age 8-18 on the drills and techniques of swimming.
A native of New Jersey, O'Donnell earned her Bachelor degree in Elementary Education in 2004 and a Masters degree in Athletic Administration and Athletic Management in 2006 from TCNJ.
Contact Lauren O'Donnell at ext. 2341 or Odonnell@newpaltz.edu.