Denison University Men's Swimming

Bertram enters his fourth year as the head men's and women's diving coach at Denison in 2015-16.  In three seasons at Denison, Bertram is a three-time NCAC Coach of the Year in addition to winning and national Men's Diving Coach of the Year awards in 2014 and 2015. Bertram won consecutive national coach of the year awards by sending 21 divers to the NCAA Regional competition over the last three seasons.  At the national championship meet, Bertram coached Connor Dignan to a national championship on the 3-meter board in 2014.  In 2015, Max Levy earned NCAA Division III Diver of the Year after winning national titles on the 1-meter and 3-meter boards.  Last season, Denison diver Ben Lewis was named the Division III Diver of the Year, helping the Big Red to a national championship. Bertram came to Denison with over 20-years of experience as a diving coach, judge and administrator. As a competitive diver, Bertram won five United States diving national championship in the 3-meter springboard and the 10-meter platform.  Most recently, Bertram spent seven years as the Aquatics Director at the University of Arizona where he was responsible for all elements of an aquatics facility that consisted of a 50-meter competitive swimming pool, a 210,000-gallon training deep well, and a 1.2 million gallon competitive diving and water polo well. In 2010, he received the prestigious Phil Boggs Award from USA Diving for lifetime commitment to the sport. That year, Bertram was instrumental in the success of three major championships hosted on the Arizona campus; the FINA World Junior Diving Championship, the USA Diving Junior National Championship and the USA Diving Age Group National Championship. A deep-rooted member of the diving community, Bertram spent one year as the head mens and womens diving coach at Florida State University (1998-99) and was the head diving coach for the Mission Viejo Nadadores dive club from 1999-2002.  While coaching in Mission Viejo, Bertram led the club to consecutive national team titles, and 13 individual titles.  They also hosted the Junior and Senior USA National Championships in 2000.  From 2002-05 he was the national events director for United States Diving, Inc. based out of Indianapolis, Ind.  Prior to that, he served five months as the United States Olympic team administrator, where he handled logistical preparation and planning of U.S. Olympic athletes from the Olympic Trials through the conclusion of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. In addition to his coaching and administrative roles, Bertram is also an accomplished diving judge.  In 2009 and again in 2010, he served as the head referee for the NCAA Division I National Championship. He was also a judge at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Bertram got his start in coaching in 1989 at Ohio State when he served as a graduate assistant diving coach for a Buckeye team that included six Olympians and 10 U.S. National Champions. A native of Indianapolis, Ind., Bertram received his bachelors degree from Indiana University in 1989. 

Denison University and its men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs have become synonymous with success. Since 1987, the driving force behind Denison swimming & diving has been Head Coach Gregg Parini. Over the past 38 seasons, Parini has built one of the most successful programs in the history of Division III athletics, highlighted by eight NCAA Division III national championships, 17 national runner-up finishes and a streak of 72 consecutive top-10 national finishes across both genders. As new personal bests are set, records are broken, and new banners are raised to the rafters of the Trumbull Aquatics Center, there has been one constant, Sempre Avanti. Translated from the Italian phrase meaning “Always Forward,” the motto has provided the foundation for personal growth and competitive drive that has become the Big Red Swimming & Diving calling card. In December of 2021, Parini was selected by the Collegiate Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for its list of 100 greatest collegiate coaches as a part of the CSCAA's Centennial Celebration.  Parini began his coaching career in 1984 as a volunteer assistant women's coach at Michigan State University, where he earned his master’s in counseling psychology. Since then, he has held coaching positions for the Upper Arlington Swim Club, Mount Union, and East Lansing High School. He was also the National Coaching Advisor for the Isle of Mauritius. He is a 1982 graduate of Kenyon College where he was a member of Jim Steen’s first national championship team in 1979. A tri-captain for the 1981-82 season, he led the team to its third NCAA crown in as many years. Parini was an 18-time All-American, a seven-time Division III National Champion, and left Kenyon with five national records. He was voted the team’s most valuable swimmer in 1981 and Senior Athlete of the Year in 1982 by the Kenyon athletic department. In May of 2002, he was inducted into Kenyon College’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Parini has seen 10 of his swimmers go on to compete at the US Olympic Trials in 14 events. In 2004, Darius Grigaliunas qualified for the Olympics in Athens, Greece, as a member of the Lithuanian national team. In addition to his coaching efforts, Parini has also made an impact in the community of Granville. He is a volunteer youth baseball and hockey coach for both the Granville Recreation Commission and the Newark Ice Hockey Association. He also volunteers with the Market Street Pantry and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Parini is currently a member of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America, the American Swimming Coaches Association, United States Swimming and the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association. He resides in Granville, Ohio, with his wife, Alice, and is the father of six sons; Joseph, Solomon, Gabe, Andrew, Ted, and Simon. Coach Parini in the classroom Parini currently holds the rank of Professor in the Department of Health, Exercise and Sport Studies (HESS) where he teaches classes in exercise physiology. Parini served as the chair of the major from 2008-10. In 2007, he was awarded with the Charles A. Brickman Teaching Excellence Award, which is given annually to one Denison faculty member who has demonstrated a vibrant interest in the learning process, as well as an understanding of teaching as a continuously evolving art form. Parini was described by his colleagues as someone who embraces the teaching and mentoring of students, not just as a profession, but as a calling. In May of 2011, he was the recipient of the National Collegiate and Scholastic Trophy, which is the highest award given by the Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association of America. Parini has represented the Denison athletics department on the Board of Trustees recruiting panel and he has been a faculty representative on Denison’s Judicial Board. In 1999 he was a facilitator in the college’s SWOT analysis Think Tank. He is also a regular keynote speaker at coaching conventions across the United States. Women’s Swimming under Coach Parini In 2001, Denison women’s swimming captured the college’s first-ever NCAA Division III national championship in Buffalo, New York, unseating the defending champion by 16 points. The individuals and accomplishments that led up to the program’s first national title started upon Parini’s appointment as head coach in 1987, and have continued to mature to the present date.  Then in 2023, 22 years after capturing the first national championship in school history, Denison was once again crowned as the NCAA Division III National Champion, this time in Greensboro, North Carolina. The numbers surrounding Denison women’s swimming & diving are astounding: 16 consecutive top-four team finishes at nationals (dating back to 2008); 29 individual event national champions; 30 relay national titles; one national swimmer of the year; one national diver of the year; and 11 conference championships. Parini has been named the NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year five times (1990, 1996, 1998, 2001, and 2023). He is also a 10-time North Coast Athletic Conference Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year. Fifteen Denison women’s swimmers have received Postgraduate Scholarships from the NCAA. In 2005, three-time national champion, Jill Boo, was a finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year. Three student-athletes, Kristen Goldthorpe (1997), Kristen Hohl (2009), and KT Kustritz (2020), were each named Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Six women’s swimmers have gone on to receive Denison’s most prestigious award upon graduation, the President’s Medal, and 19 of Parini’s former female student-athletes have been inducted into Denison’s Varsity D Association Hall of Fame. The women’s swimming & diving team is consistently recognized by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America for its prowess in the classroom. Parini’s squads have received the CSCAA’s Scholar All-America team award every semester since his arrival in 1987. Men’s Swimming under Coach Parini In 2025, Denison would capture their sixth NCAA Division III national championship since 2011. They won by a total of 140 points over the second-place finisher, and it is their second biggest margin of victory in program history. In 2019, Denison men’s swimming & diving won its fifth NCAA Division III national championship since 2011, and they did it in emphatic fashion, winning the title by 115 points over the second-place finisher. From 1988 through 2010, Denison’s men had logged 20 top-five national team finishes, but the breakthrough occurred in 2011 when the Big Red shocked the swimming & diving world by snapping Kenyon College’s 31-year streak of national championships, a streak that Parini helped start as a collegiate swimmer in 1979. Denison ended the streak by rallying from 36 points down on the final day to win by one point, marking the closest finish in the history of NCAA swimming, at any level. Academic success and remarkable achievements in the pool has been a constant throughout Parini’s tenure. He has been named the NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year seven times (1994, 1996, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2025) and has been voted NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 11 times. Aaron Cole was named National Swimmer of the Year in 1999 and 2000 and Jack Lindell was voted the nation’s top swimmer in 2016. Since 1996, 12 male swimmers have gone on to win 35 individual event national championships and 16 relay national titles. At the conference level, Denison has won 14 NCAC Championships and enjoyed a streak of 11 consecutive NCAC titles from 2009-2019. 10 men have been awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships under Parini and 25 have been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® team. In 2020, Bebe Wang was named both the Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year and the overall Academic All-American® of the Year. Denison’s Varsity D Association has inducted 12 of his former male swimmers into its Hall of Fame through 2021. Parini’s men’s teams have received the CSCAA’s Scholar All-America team award in 35 of the last 36 years.   Parini at Denison Year Season at DU Men's Conference/National Finish Women's Conference/National Finish 1987-88 1st 2nd NCAC 4th NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship 1988-89 2nd 2nd NCAC 6th NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 5th NCAA Division III Championship 1989-90 3rd 2nd NCAC 9th NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 1990-91 4th 2nd NCAC 5th NCAA Division III Championship 3rd NCAC 7th NCAA Division III Championship 1991-92 5th 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 6th NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 1992-93 6th 2nd NCAC 5th NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 1993-94 7th 2nd NCAC 4th NCAA Division III Championship NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 2nd NCAC 5th NCAA Division III Championship 1994-95 8th 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 4th NCAA Division III Championship 1995-96 9th 2nd NCAC 2nd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 1996-97 10th 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 3rd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 2nd NCAC 4th NCAA Division III Championship 1997-98 11th 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 2nd NCAA Division III Championship NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 1998-99 12th 2nd NCAC 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 1999-00 13th 2nd NCAC 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 2000-01 14th 2nd NCAC 5th NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 1st NCAA Division III Championship (NCAA National Champions) NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 2001-02 15th 2nd NCAC 7th NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 2002-03 16th 2nd NCAC 5th NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 4th NCAA Division III Championship 2003-04 17th 2nd NCAC 4th NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 3rd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 2004-05 18th 2nd NCAC 5th NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship 2005-06 19th 2nd NCAC 2nd NCAA Division III Championship NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 2nd NCAC 6th NCAA Division III Championship 2006-07 20th 2nd NCAC 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 5th NCAA Division III Championship 2007-08 21st 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 2008-09 22nd 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 3rd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 3rd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 2009-10 23rd 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 2nd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 2nd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 2010-11 24th 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 1st NCAA Division III Championship (NCAA National Champions) NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 2011-12 25th 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 1st NCAA Division III Championship (NCAA National Champions) NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 3rd NCAA Division III Championship 2012-13 26th 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 3rd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 2013-14 27th 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 2nd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 4th NCAA Division III Championship 2014-15 28th 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 2015-16 29th 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 1st NCAA Division III Championship (NCAA National Champions) NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 2nd NCAC 4th NCAA Division III Championship 2016-17 30th 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 3rd NCAA Division III Championship NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 4th NCAA Division III Championship 2017-18 31st 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 1st NCAA Division III Championship (NCAA National Champions) NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year 2nd NCAC 4th NCAA Division III Championship 2018-19 32nd 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 1st NCAA Division III Championship (NCAA National Champions) 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship 2019-20 33rd 2nd NCAC *National Championships Canceled due to COVID-19 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) *NCAC/National Championships Canceled due to COVID-19 2020-21 34th *NCAC/National Championships Canceled due to COVID-19 *NCAC/National Championships Canceled due to COVID-19 2021-22 35th 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 3rd NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 3rd NCAA Division III Championship 2022-23 36th 2nd NCAC 8th NCAA Division III Championship 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 1st NCAA Division III Championship (NCAA National Champions) NCAC Swimming Coaching Staff of the Year NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year 2023-24 37th 2nd NCAC 6th NCAA Division III Championship 2nd NCAC 2nd NCAA Division III Championship 2024-25 38th 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 1st NCAA Division III Championship (NCAA National Champions) NCAC Swimming Coach of the Year NCAA DIII Coach of the Year 1st NCAC (NCAC Champions) 4th NCAA Division III Championship   Overall 11-Time NCAC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year Seven-Time NCAA Division III Men's Swimming Coach of the Year 14 NCAC Men's Championships Six NCAA Division III Men's National Championships 10-Time NCAC Women's Swimming Coach of the year Five-Time NCAA Division III Women's Swimming Coach of the Year 12 NCAC Women's Championships Two NCAA Division III Women's National Championships

Beckwith returns in 2016-17 for his fifth year as an assistant coach with the Denison men's and women's swimming & diving team's. In four seasons with the Big Red, Denison's men have won one national championship and three runner-up national finishes while the women have placed third, fourth, second and fourth, respectively.  At the conference level, both the men's and women's programs have combined for seven championships.  Beckwith came to Granville after one year as the assistant swimming and diving coach at Hope College in Holland, Mich.  A 2011 graduate of Olivet College, Beckwith graduated Summa Cum Laude with a major in mathematics.  A four-year member of the Olivet swimming and diving team, Beckwith was a four-time All-American backstroker and three-time Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association champion.  He was twice named to the NCAAs Elite 88 and in 2011, he was named the Capital One Academic All-America® of the Year.  That prestigious honor came after earning first-team Academic All-America® honors and four College Swimming Coaches Association Scholar All-America awards. While serving as an assistant at Hope, Beckwith headed the recruitment efforts for the Flying Dutch program.  He coached five athletes to All-American status and one who was named to the NCAAs Elite 89. In December of 2015, Beckwith received his Master's in coaching education from Ohio University's Patton College of Education.

Lloyd enters her third year as assistant men's and women's swimming coach at Denison University in 2016-17.  Lloyd came to Denison in 2014 after five seasons as an assistant at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H. While at Colby-Sawyer, Lloyd designed and conducted workouts for the Charger swimming and diving teams while programing the team's strength and conditioning program.  Lloyd was also heavily involved in recruiting and fundraising at Colby-Sawyer. Lloyd also served as the head masters swim coach at Colby-Sawyer. Prior to her time at Colby-Sawyer, Lloyd re-entered the coaching ranks by serving as the head swimming coach at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, N.H.  In her second year at Lebanon, the women's team won the state championship and in her third year, the team received the NISCA Scholar Team bronze award for maintaining grade point average above 3.20.  Prior to her coaching stint at Lebanon HS, she spent nine years as the owner and chief instructor at the Chicago ATA Black Belt Academy. Lloyd is a licensed Doctor of Naprapathy, a degree she received the Chicago National College of Naprapathy in 2000.  She received her bachelor of arts in linguistics from Northwestern University in 1994.  As a swimmer for the Wildcats, she was a Big Ten Champion in 1991 as a member of the 200 medley relay. A six-time All-American, she received the honor on relays all four years.  Lloyd was a three-time Academic All-BIG Ten selection and a College Swimming Coaches Association of America first-team Scholar All-American in 1994. That would not be the last time Lloyd would be recognized by the CSCAA.  In early 2014, she was awarded the CSCAA Jean Freeman Scholarship Award.  This award is presented annually to one male and one female assistant coach in each division of the NCAA.  It is presented to an assistant coach whose exceptional contributions have brought recognition to their college or university, and whose leadership, integrity, honesty, competitive attitude and personal graciousness epitomizes those characteristics reflected by Jean Freeman. In 2013, Lloyd was published twice by United States Masters Swimming.  She is certified by the Red Cross as a lifeguard training instruction, a water safety instructor, and in lifeguarding/First-Aid, and CPR.  She remains an instructor certified by the American Taekwondo Association and is a fifth-degree black belt.