Mike Kokoszka is entering his second season as the men's and women's swimming head coach in 2021-22. Kokoszka arrived in Glenside in May 2020 after spending nine seasons on the women's swimming and diving coaching staff at Hunter College (N.Y.), including the last three years as the program's head coach.
In his first season with the Knights, Kokoszka led the women's team to a fourth place finish at the MAC Championships, while the men took sixth place. The women's team collected 13 total medals - six gold, three silver and four bronze - to tie overall champion Messiah for the most on the weekend. Over the course of the three-day event, the Knights set 11 new Lenox Pool records and three program records - Risa Krauss' 100-yd and 200-yd breaststroke performances and Julia Stephens' 100-yd backstroke split in the 400-yd medley relay with a time of 58.98. Krauss also became the first female in program history to be crowned David B. Eavenson Swimmer of the Year. The men came away with seven medals at the Championships with Janis Kirsis leading the way with three individual medals - a gold, silver and bronze. The men's team set nine Lenox Pool records and one program record as Kirsis broke his previous mark in the 100-yd backstroke with a time of 52.11.
Kokoszka joined the Knights following a very successful run while at Hunter, having earned City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Coach of the Year honors in each of his three seasons as head coach. In each of those three seasons, the Hawks were crowned CUNYAC regular season champions and were named a College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Team - maintaining a 3.5 team GPA - while coaching 18 CUNYAC All-Stars and two CUNYAC Rookie of the Year honorees. Additionally, Kokoszka's Hawks posted a 26-7 overall dual meet record with a perfect 18-0 mark in CUNYAC meets while overseeing eight program records.
Kokoszka led the Hawks to runner-up finishes at the conference championship meet in his first two seasons before claiming the 2020 CUNYAC title this past season, as he coached six Hawks to CUNYAC All-Star recognition and the CUNYAC Rookie of the Year in Sarah Decker. Kokoszka capped his final season at Hunter by leading the Hawks to their best finish in program history at the Metropolitan (MET) Championships, placing seventh in the 16-team field.
Prior to his promotion to head coach in 2017, Kokoszka served six seasons as an assistant coach for the Hawks, overseeing 41 CUNYAC All-Stars and 12 program records. Kokoszka was also named a 2016 CollegeSwimming.com Assistant Coach of the Year Finalist.
Before arriving at Hunter, he was an assistant coach for the Cross Island YMCA Age Group Swim Team, mentoring and preparing New York State YMCA champions and YMCA national qualifiers. Kokoszka was no stranger to the Cross Island YMCA program, having been a YMCA National Qualifier himself during his competition days. He was also a New York state championships qualifier for Chaminade High School.
Kokoszka earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Columbia University in 2009 where he was a four-year member of the Lions' NCAA Division I lightweight rowing team. He also founded the Columbia University Triathlon Club and was an Age Group All-American Triathlete and the 2009 Ivy League Triathlon Champion at the New York City Triathlon.
Kokoszka went on to earn his M.S. in Environmental Engineering from New York University in 2013 as a Presidential Scholar.
Updated: 08/16/21
