Andrew Dragunas

Andrew Dragunas

A Canadian Youth and Junior National Champion who competed at two Olympic Trials, Andrew Dragunas, Ph.D., is set for his fourth year with the the Warriors in 2023-24.

In his first three years as head coach, Dragunas has mentored a MAC Swimmer of the Year, a MAC Scholar-Athlete, two CSCAA Scholar All-Americans, a NCAA Championship qualifier, a NCAA provisional qualifier, three MAC Champions, five All-MAC selections, six Chi Alpha Sigma inductees, 29 MAC Academic Honor Roll picks and his teams have earned CSCAA All-Academic Team honors nine times.

In 2022-23, Dragunas helped the women to a 5-4 record, while Katherine Brown defended her 100-yard breaststroke title at the MAC Championships, earning a NCAA 'B' cut with a time of 1:03.99. 

The Warriors had a groundbreaking year in 2021-22, as the men's swimming team posted a 7-3 dual-meet record, its best since 2012-13. The team won nine MAC Swimmer of the Week awards, including a school-record six by Katherine Brown, who also was named the MAC Women's Swimmer of the Year, as she won both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke, with her MAC-record time of 1:03.88 qualifying her for the NCAA Championships, where she finished 17th in the event. In all, Lycoming swimmers broke six school records during the season.
 
In his first year with the team, Dragunas mentored the Warriors through a COVID-19-shortened season. He coached two top-three finishers at the virtual MAC Championships and helped the team set three school and pool records during the season.
  
Dragunas came to Lycoming after a season at Vassar as an assistant coach, where he, 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. He and wife, Jenny, have a daughter, Skylar.

 
The Dragunas File
Hometown: Pointe-Claire, Quebec
Wife - Jenny
Daughter - Skylar
Education
2005 Bachelor of Science - Physical Education East Carolina University
2009 Master of Science - Kinesiology Western University
2015 Doctorate - Kinesiology Western University
Swimming Experience
2000, 2004 Canadian Olympic Trials
2001-05 East Carolina University 2002 Rookie of the Year
Coaching Experience
2016-19 SUNY Oswego Assistant Swimming Coach
2019-20 Vassar College Assistant Swimming Coach
2020- Lycoming College Head Swimming Coach
Honors & Awards
1997 Canadian Youth National Champion 200-meter Butterfly
2000 Canadian Youth National Champion 200-meter Butterfly
2020 Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year
Dragunas Year-By-Year
Men Women
Year W L Pct. W L Pct. Note
2020-21 1 1 .500 1 1 .500 Carter Branigan set three school and pool records at Virtual MAC Championships
2021-22 7 3 .700 3 7 .300 Katherine Brown named MAC Swimmer of the Year, reaches NCAAs
2022-23 4 5 .444 5 4 .556 Katherine Brown repeats as 100-yard breaststroke champ at MACs
Total 12 9 .571 9 12 .429