Queens University of Charlotte Men's Swimming

Elliot Ptasnik joined the Queens men’s and women’s swimming coaching staffs ahead of the 2023-24 season. Ptasnik brings over 15 years of coaching to Charlotte with experience ranging from age group, college, and professional swimmers. Most recently, he served as a volunteer assistant coach at Stanford University, primarily working with the Cardinal women’s team and 2020 U.S. Women’s Olympic Swimming Head Coach Greg Meehan.   While completing a master’s degree from 2021 to 2023, Ptasnik was the founder and head coach of Aloha Aquatica, a professional training group based out of Kapolei, Hawaii. He has worked with athletes such as World Champion Ben Proud, World Record holder Andrii Govorov, Olympic gold medalist Anthony Ervin, Olympians Michael Andrew, Shane Ryan, Marius Kusch and Meiron Cheruti and many other professional swimmers. Ptasnik has coached at many major competitions such as US Olympic Trials, US Nationals, NCAA Championships, World Championships and European Championships.   From 2016 to 2021, Ptasnik served as an assistant coach and head coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. During his tenure at Hawaii, he helped guide the UH Wahine (women’s team) to MPSF Conference Championships in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 and the UH Warriors (men’s team) to MPSF Conference Championships in 2019 and 2020. Ptasnik was awarded MPSF Women’s Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2021 and MPSF Men’s Coach of the Year in 2020.   Prior to Hawaii, Ptasnik spent nine years as Director of Imagine Swimming in New York City, expanding the swim school to over 4,000 swimmers and serving as head coach of the Manhattan Makos swim team which produced many successful swimming careers, including Division I and Division III national champions.   Ptasnik swam at the University of Iowa, earning a degree in finance in 2005. He also has an MBA from the University of Hawaii. He is accompanied by his wife Shana, an electrophysiologist at Novant Presbyterian Hospital, and their dog Archie. Quotes “Elliot made an immediate and lasting impact on our program this summer. He’s an incredibly thoughtful and curious coach who brought a positive and an infectious energy to the pool deck each and every day. Elliot will continue to make a big impact at Queens and I’m excited for him to take his next journey in his career.” -Greg Meehan | Stanford Director of Women's Swimming    “Elliot is an excellent fit with our program. He has robust knowledge, a growth mindset, and a hunger to move athletes from good to great. We exist to build leaders for life and Elliot brings another layer of expertise and experience to deliver an amazing experience to our student-athletes. I also want to welcome Shana to the Queen City.”   -Jeff Dugdale | Queens Associate Athletic Director for Creative Services/Director of Swimming   

Queens University of Charlotte Director of Swimming Jeff Dugdale announced the addition of Brad Hancock as Associate Head Coach for the Royals men's and women's swimming & diving programs in July 2025. A decorated NCAA champion and proud Queens alumnus, Hancock returns to Charlotte with elite coaching credentials and a proven record of athlete development at the national and international levels. Hancock most recently served as Head Coach of Coronado Swim Team Elite in Southern California, where he led the club through a successful program restructure and coached athletes to premier international competitions including USA Swimming Summer Junior Nationals, the Pan American Games, and the 2024 Paris Olympics. His leadership extended across staff development, scheduling across multiple training sites, and curriculum design for all age groups. Prior to his time in California, Hancock spent four years with New Wave Swim Team in Raleigh, N.C., where he helped elevate the program to a top-five national age group ranking by the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA). He was named an ASCA Top 50 Age Group Coach of the Year in 2021 and was repeatedly selected to serve on staff for North Carolina Swimming's elite development camps. Hancock returns to the Royals with a standout collegiate resume of his own. Competing for Queens from 2014–2018, he helped the program capture four straight NCAA Division II national championships. He was a two-time NCAA Division II All-American (2016–17, 2017–18), a CSCAA Scholar All-American in 2015–16, and a Bluegrass Mountain Conference All-Conference selection in the 50 freestyle during the 2017–18 season. Hancock was also a Presidential Scholar and NCAA Scholastic All-American. "The opportunity to return to my alma mater, in our first season of NCAA Division I eligibility, as your next Associate Head Coach is a responsibility that I am excited to accept," Hancock said. "The success of our program at Coronado Swim Team Elite over the last two years made this decision a difficult one, and I would like to personally thank my San Diego family for a great run. Pete McVey, David Marsh, Mel Eisenhamer, my assistant coaches, parents and swimmers made my time spent in California a memorable one, and I appreciate all of the lessons learned and knowledge gained during that time. I hope to motivate and enable our student-athletes to create one of the most dynamic and competitive programs in college swimming, and have fun while doing it." As Associate Head Coach, Hancock will assist in all facets of the program, including training, recruiting, and program development.

Hintz joined Queens Athletics as a diving coach in 2025. Hintz brings more than three decades of coaching experience to the Royals, including an extensive background developing divers who have competed at the highest levels of the sport. He serves as the Program Director and Head Coach of Carolina Diving Academy, which he founded in 2007 and built into one of the region’s premier diving programs. Under his leadership, the academy has produced Olympic Trials semifinalists, Junior Pan American Games medalists, numerous USA Diving national qualifiers, and multiple team championships across Regional and Zone competition. He also oversees a staff of full-time and part-time coaches, manages substantial operating budgets, creates strength and conditioning initiatives, and organizes large-scale events such as the annual “Carolina Big Dive,” which now attracts more than 250 divers each year. Prior to his work with Carolina Diving Academy, Hintz held collegiate coaching roles at Davidson College, Western Illinois University, Ball State University, and Coe College. His collegiate athletes achieved NCAA Zone qualifications, conference championships, school records, and national-level success. In addition, he has coached with several prominent club programs, including Team Orlando Diving and Tualatin Hills Dive Club, collaborating with nationally recognized and Olympic-level coaches throughout his career. Since arriving at Queens, Hintz has brought his technical expertise, extensive national coaching network, and proven track record of athlete development to enhance the Royals’ diving program.  A graduate of Western Illinois University, Hintz earned his bachelor’s degree in Journalism with minors in Creative Writing and English. Outside of coaching, he has also served on multiple USA Diving committees, including the Coaches Advisory Committee, Rules Committee, and Senior Committee, helping guide the direction of the sport nationally.