The 2017-2018 season is Head Coach Eric Mitchell's seventh at the helm of Sarah Lawrence men’s and women’s swimming. He also serves as the College’s Director of Aquatics.
Mitchell’s inaugural season was highlighted by the Gryphons’ third consecutive Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) Swimming Invitational victory. Also, six team members received HVWAC All-Academic recognition. In all, 19 combined team records were broken in 2011-12.
Mitchell repeated his success in 2012-13, leading the Gryphon women to their fourth-straight HVWAC Swimming Invitational title. Sarah Lawrence's women's squad posted a 7-3 record, and the team broke 16 of 19 records. On the men's side, 17 of 19 records fell, and both squads debuted in the UNYSCSA Championships.
The 2013-14 season saw SLC men's swimming pick up its first winning season (4-3). All but one—18 of 19—program records were bested. Cameron Martinez highlighted the season as a double-winner at the UNYSCSA Championships, earning Swimmer of the Meet accolades. On the women's side, Sarah Lawrence posted the program's best winning percentage (7-1) on record, and the team rewrote over half the record board. The Gryphons won their fifth-straight Hudson Valley Invitational, and three student-athletes were named to the All-HVIAC squad.
In 2014-15 the Gryphons continued to re-write the teams' history books, breaking 12 records on the men's side and another nine on the women's. Mitchell's efforts helped the Sarah Lawrence women to a runner-up finish in their first-ever Skyline Championships, while Martinez repeated as a double-winner at the UNYSCSA Championships. Following the team's first season the league, Mitchell was honored by his fellow coaches as the 2015 Skyline Men's Swimming Coach of the Year.
The 2015-16 season proved successful again. The Gryphon women compiled a dual-meet record of 7-2 while breaking nine school records and finishing third at the Skyline Championships. The men secured another winning season, going 4-3 in dual meet competition. They also finished third at the Skyline Championship and broke 13 of 19 school records. Senior Cameron Martinez continued his winning streak at the UNYSCSA Championships by winning his third consecutive titles in both the 100 and 200 yard butterfly. The season was highlighted by Martinez becoming Sarah Lawrence’s first athlete to compete in an NCAA national championship, qualifying in the 100 and 200 butterfly as well as the 200 individual medley. At the 2016 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships, Martinez finished ninth in the 200 yard butterfly, earning an Honorable Mention All-American status.
In 2016-17, the women's swimming program repeated a third-place finish at the Skyline Championships. Junior Hannah Lawson became the first swimmer to post an NCAA Championships provisional qualification time in program history, and rookie Naima Joy Mackrel was named Skyline Rookie of the Year. On the men's side, Mitchell was recognized by the league's coaches as Skyline Coach of the Year; he accepted the honor for the second time in the team's first three seasons in the league. The men and women combined for 13 broken records during the season.
As Director of Aquatics, Mitchell is also responsible for staffing and management of the Campbell Sports Center pool. He oversees all swim meets and serves as lifeguarding and physical education instructor.
Prior to his arrival at Sarah Lawrence, Mitchell served a five-year stint as Head Swim Coach for Red Tide of NYC, where he coached five U.S. Masters champions, four Masters World Record holders and a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier. He also served as Head Coach of men’s & women’s swimming & diving at Brooklyn College and as Aquatics Director at Brooklyn Sports Club.
In 2012, Mitchell was selected by United States Masters Swimming to serve as one of four team coaches at the FINA Masters World Championships in Riccione, Italy.
In 2002, Mitchell completed a B.S. in recreation and leisure studies with a minor in business management at Old Dominion University, where he was a four-year competitor for the Monarchs. As of March 2012, his best times in the 200 Fly (1:52.03), 200 IM (1:52.48) and 400 IM (4:00.77) remain among the program’s all-time top-10.
He earned an M.S. in sports management from Columbia University in 2011.
Mitchell is a member of the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA), United States Swimming and United States Masters Swimming. He is a certified American Red Cross Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor with ASCA Level 4 USA-S and Level 2 Masters certifications.
Mitchell resides in Yonkers, N.Y. with his wife Gina and daughter Francesca.
