New Jersey Institute of Technology Men's Swimming

Lawson has continued to raise the status of the Highlander program and help his student athletes achieve milestones within their swimming and diving careers. In his tenure at NJIT, Coach Lawson has implemented a student-focused philosophy of helping student athletes accomplish their academic and athletic goals through a balanced holistic approach to training. Coach Lawson prides himself on his ability to see a swimmer not just as a student-athlete but as a maturing individual that with guidance can accomplish anything they put their mind and heart into. With Lawson at the helm, NJIT mens swimming & diving has built upon the programs past successes. In 2013-14 the Highlanders were invited to join the exclusively Division I Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA). The CCSA brings together five East Coast Division I conferences that do not sponsor swimming and diving, making it one of the fastest conferences in the nation. In their inaugural CCSA championship, the Highlanders finished 5 th overall, beating Howard University and Virginia Military Institute. At the championship, then sophomore freestyle sprinter Brian Capozzola finished third in the 50 Freestyle with a time of 20.52, only three tenths off a NCAA B standard.   NJIT finished with their best record as a Division I program (8-4) and completed an unbeaten home season (4-0) in 2015.  The Highlanders were ranked nationally in the Division I Top 50 Mid-Major category for the first time in school history (45 th ) and placed 3 rd in the ECAC Winter Championships, another first.  NJIT earned 2014 College Swimming Coaches Association of American Scholar All-American team honors (one of 65 teams honored nationally) and placed 4 th at the CCSA championships, breaking 16 school-records.  The season was capped by Brian Capozzolas second-place finish in the 50-free and fourth in the 100-free at the CCSA Championships, the highest placement by any Highlander in school history at a Division I conference meet. The 2013-14 season concluded with 14 out of 25 school records broken, the team being named CSCAA All-Academic Team by having a team GPA above 3.0, and 8 Highlanders achieving CCSA All-Academic Conference awards by having a GPA above 3.5. The 2013-14 season also marked the inaugural year of the programs diving team. Lawson initiated the addition of diving to make the overall program more competitive. During the 2012-13 season Lawson led the team to break 19 of 23 schools records and qualified six swimmers, a school high, to the ECAC Open Championship. The Highlanders placed 12th out of 29 teams at the ECAC meet, as well as finishing 9th out of 19 teams at the Metropolitan Swimming Conference Championships. Both meets saw a record amount of NJIT swimmers finish in Top 8 and Top 16, with multiple athletes garnering 2nd, 3rd, and 5th place finishes. Before being named head coach at NJIT in 2010, Coach Lawson was an assistant coach for the Highlanders during the 2009-10 season. From 2005 to 2007 he was head swim coach at the Kellogg Club in Morristown, NJ. Through the guidance of his former coaches and his numerous friendships amongst the swimming coachs community, coach Lawson has developed a coaching style rooted in proper stroke technique and strength training. In 2010, Coach Lawson graduated Magna cum Laude from New Jersey Institute of Technology Albert Dorman Honors College with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and in 2011 with a Master of Science in Management, specializing in Organization Management. He graduated in 2013 with his Master of City & Regional Planning, specializing in Urban Design and Transportation from the Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Lawson is an accredited AICP professional urban planner and an Architectural/ Urban Designer at Marchetto, Higgins & Stieve in Hoboken, NJ. During his tenure as an undergraduate student at NJIT, Lawson was team captain for two years, competing as the primary swimmer in the Individual Medley and Breaststroke. In 2007 he was a finals qualifier in Breaststroke at the Metropolitan Swimming Conference Championships. He held the 800 Freestyle Relay record and was named to the Metropolitan Conference All-Academic Team in 2009.  

Albright, continues to help develop NJIT swimmers so that they can accomplish their season and lifetime goals. His extensive knowledge of swimming technique and strength training is an enormous asset to the division I program. Through intense strength training, rigorous practices, and refining technique Albright hopes to bring the teams performance to the next level. The dedication and commitment from both the athletes and the coaching staff will provide a solid base for success both in and out of the pool, whether in competition or in life. Prior to joining the coaching staff at NJIT, Albright graduated from Loyola University (MD) in 2011. At Loyola he was an active member of the swimming and diving team, and was a part of the 3-time MAAC Conference Champion Loyola squad. Albright graduated from NJIT with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering in 2014 and currently works as an Engineer at Accurate Box Company in Paterson, NJ.  

Bryan, who joined the NJIT coaching staff for the 2014-15 season, comes from a diverse swimming background having been a college stand-out on the Highlander team from 2010-2013. As assistant coach, Bryan will assist with the teams sprinters. He will develop practices and training regimens tat from his own personal experience will motivate and improve the team. Prior to joining the coaching staff at NJIT, Bryan was captain of the NJIT Mens Swimming & Diving team. He was a member of the NJIT relay teams that broke all five team relay records including the 200 and 400 Medley, and the 200, 400, and 800 Freestyle relays during the 2012-13 season. On all relays, Bryan swam anchor dropping his 50 freestyle split time in the 200 Freestyle relay to a 20.80 by the end of the season. During his senior season Bryan received Metropolitan All-Conference, Metropolitan Honorable Mention, and qualified for the ECAC Open Swim Championship. Bryan graduated from NJIT with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the Albert Dorman Honors College in 2013 and currently works as an Assistant Architect at Arcari + Iovino Architects in Little Ferry, NJ.  

Cacella has high hopes for this young diving program. He has many goals to reach while using his diving expertise, motivating others to explore past their limitations. During his first season as diving coach, Cacella led NJIT diver David Schmidt to a 7 th place finish in the 3 Meter and 10 th place finish in the 1 Meter at the CCSA Conference Championship. Cacella has a background in diving, mainly coaching elementary and high school athletes at the Lakeland Hills YMCA and a local summer league. Cacella was a four year varsity diver at Division III Montclair State University, graduating in 2013 with a BFA in Graphic Design.