Hobart and William Smith Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Brian Miller announced that Elizabeth Bernardy will serve as the next head coach of the Hobart and William Smith swimming & diving programs.
"Elizabeth brings a ton of energy and depth of experience to the position," says Miller. "Her work and successes at both Smith and Wheaton speaks for itself."
Bernardy comes to Geneva after one year as the head coach of the men's and women's swimming & diving programs at Wheaton College. In her time with the Lyons, Bernardy led the women's program to a 9-2 dual meet record and a third-place finish at the NEWMAC Championships. Additionally, four Lyons qualified for the NCAA Division III Women's Swimming & Diving Championships. She led the men's program to a 5-5 record and a fifth-place finish at the conference championships.
"Her vision for what HWS swimming & diving can look like aligns perfectly with what the Colleges are imagining," says Miller. "We are happy to have her aboard and I look forward to seeing her develop and lead the program into the future."
Prior to her time at Wheaton, Bernardy was the graduate assistant swimming & diving coach at Smith College for two seasons before being elevated to Interim Co-Head Coach in February of 2023. In her two seasons with the Pioneers, she mentored a swimmer who earned back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances. Bernardy also spent her time as an exercise and sports studies instructor at Smith.
Bernardy graduated from Wheaton in 2020 with a degree in early childhood education and psychology, while also being a four-year member of the swimming and diving team as well as the track and field team. She went on to obtain a master's in exercise and sports studies from Smith in 2023.
In her time at Wheaton, she was named to the All-NEWMAC second team four times. Bernardy and her teammates combined for a four-year dual meet record of 44-13 and finished as the NEWMAC runners-up in three of her four seasons. She was a school record holder in multiple events during her career.
"I'm incredibly honored for the opportunity to lead the swimming and diving programs at HWS," says Bernardy. "I'm looking forward to joining such a talented athletic staff in supporting the mission of the colleges. My biggest priority is fostering an environment of excellence both in and out of the pool while reaching new heights as a program."
In her first two seasons as head coach, Bernardy guided the Hobart and William Smith swimming and diving programs to continued success in the pool and the classroom. Under her leadership, William Smith recorded its highest Liberty League Championship finish since 2023, while Hobart continued to improve against one of the nation's strongest Division III conferences. Bernardy coached Daniel Barrientos '26 to one of the finest diving seasons in program history, as he captured the Liberty League 3-meter diving championship, earned First Team CSCAA All-America honors with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships, and became Hobart's first First Team All-American diver since 1990. Barrientos also set Hobart, Liberty League Championship, Liberty League and pool records on the 3-meter board en route to the conference title. Bernardy has also coached multiple conference weekly award winners, while both the Herons and Statesmen earned CSCAA Scholar All-America Team recognition during each of her first two seasons.
