Brogan Barr was appointed the sixth head coach in Siena College Women's Swimming and Diving history on August 24, 2020. The Pueblo West, Colorado native brought five years of collegiate coaching experience with her to the Saints.
“We’re excited to welcome Coach Barr to the Siena Family,” said D’Argenio upon Barr's hiring. “She’s an enthusiastic young coach with a strong vision for our women’s swimming and diving program, and will serve as a great leader and role model for our student athletes.”
The 2022-23 season brought success that the program had not experienceb in recent memory. Barr led Siena to its most dual meet wins (9) in 11 seasons and a sixth place finish at MAAC Championships for the second straight year. The team set the school record in the 800 free relay, broke three Siena Swim Center pool records, and featured its first MAAC Individual Champion since 2011 in junior Talia Spenziero's one-meter diving title. Spenziero and senior Lydia Delano qualified and competed at NCAA Diving Zone Regionals despite the program not having a full-time diving coach.
During her first full traditional season at the helm, Barr helped the Saints to their best postseason finish in recent memory during the 2021-22 campaign. The Saints placed sixth at the 2022 MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships for their highest finish since 2016, with two school records broken during the season and 18 new entries on the program's All-Time Top-Ten Performers List.
Barr took the reins of the Siena College Women’s Swimming and Diving program following a two-year stint as the assistant men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach at Division III Hamilton College in nearby Clinton, New York. She helped guide the Continentals to 70 new all-time top-10 performances and five school records during her tenure on staff under head coach John Geissinger.
“To join the Siena College community is immensely gratifying,” remarked Barr upon her appointment. “I am beyond excited about our swimming and diving program’s potential. We have a roster of talented student athletes who have succeeded both in the classroom and in the pool, and who have it in them to make their mark in the MAAC and beyond. I can’t want to join our Saints swimmers and divers in moving the program forward and upward, and I thank Vice President and Director of Athletics John D’Argenio and Associate Athletic Director Drew Santandera for the opportunity to lead the team.”
Barr previously served as an assistant men’s and women’s coach for two seasons at Division III powerhouse Williams College from 2015-17. The women posted a pair of top-three finishes and the men achieved two top-10 rankings at the NCAA Division III Championships, while both squads also secured New England Small College Athletic Conference Championships each season she was on staff. Barr assisted in the development of 10 Division III National Champions, 43 All-Americans, 46 NCAA qualifiers, and 13 NCAA Scholar All-Americans. The Ephs also broke a pair of Division III records and more than 20 school records during Barr’s tenure, and she coached five swimmers who qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials.
Barr began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Division III SUNY Potsdam during the 2014-15 season. She has served as a club coach for USA Swimming since 2018, and was also an aquatics specialist at the U.S. Olympic Training Center during the summers of 2015 and 2016.
A 2014 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota with her B.A. in biology and religion, Barr earned a Master of Science in Sport Management from the University of Florida in 2020. She was an all-conference performer for the Golden Gusties after finishing third in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the 2011 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, and is the holder of numerous top-10 program times. Gustavus Adolphus finished in the top-20 nationally at the Division III level in all four of her seasons swimming, capped by a program-best seventh place finish in 2014.
Year-by-Year With Coach Barr
| YEAR |
OVERALL |
PCT |
MAAC |
PCT |
CONF FINISH |
HIGHLIGHTS |
| 2021 |
0-0 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Siena recorded seven personal best and three top-ten times at the 2021 Siena Classic Time Trials |
| 2021-22 |
3-8 |
.273 |
1-3 |
.250 |
6th |
Team recorded best MAAC finish since 2016; School records for 100 fly and one-meter diving set |
| 2022-23 |
9-5 |
.643 |
2-0 |
1.000 |
6th |
Most dual meet wins since 2010-11; School record in 800 free relay set; Talia Spenziero captured MAAC One-Meter Diving Championship; Both divers qualified for NCAA Zone Regionals |
| TOTALS |
12-13 |
.480 |
3-3 |
.500 |
