Utica University Women's Swimming

Knight enters her eighth season as head coach of the men and women swim and dive programs as well as the womens water polo team. Knight is also the Aquatics Director in which she oversees the day-to-day operations of the Utica College pool.   This past season, coach Knight guided the mens and womens swim and dive team to a 6-7 and 3-11 records respectively. Knight had two swimmers named All-Conference. Phoebe King and Chris Halsey were named to the Sportswoman and Sportsman teams.   In the 2014-2015 season, Knight guided the mens and womens swim and dive teams to the best season under her tenure and the most wins in over a decade as both squads concluded the regular season with a 5-8 overall record. Coach Knight also led several Pioneers to individual and school records.  Junior standout broke school-records in the 200 yard individual medley and the 200 yard backstroke to lead the Pioneers at championships.  Warnon led the men's squad throughout the regular season with 15 wins while accounting for over 130 points.  Freshman Phoebe King shattered the Utica College school-record in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 25.25.  King teamed up with classmates Grace Gallentine and Alyson Baribault along with sophomore Mikey Maxwell in the 200 and 400 yard freestyles and etched their names into the record books, leading the women at championships. In the 2013-2014 season, Knight guided water polo standout Evelyn Kurzac to her fourth straight All-American honor and fourth consecutive All-Conference selection this past season as she has become the most decorated player in the five-year history of CWPA Division III competition. Kurzac wrapped up her outstanding collegiate career as schools all-time leader in goals scored with 236.  She also holds the school record for goals in a season (75), which she set her sophomore season. Knight guided standout Evelyn Kurzac to her fourth straight All-American honor and fourth consecutive All-Conference selection this past season as she has become the most decorated player in the five-year history of CWPA Division III competition. Kurzac wrapped up her outstanding collegiate career as schools all-time leader in goals scored with 236.  She also holds the school record for goals in a season (75), which she set her sophomore season.  Also this past season, she led the mens swim and dive team to the most wins in a single season (four) in her five-year tenure and over the last eight years.   Over the past two seasons, Knight has had nine student-athletes earn Presidents list status as well the women's swim and dive and water polo teams joining a school-record 16 teams that combined for a grade point average of 3.0 or better in the classroom in 2013. A 2003 graduate of Hamilton College, Knight earned a bachelors degree in geoarcheology. She swam for three seasons with the Continentals and also spent one season on the swim team at the Naval Academy. Her previous coaching experience includes working with the New Hartford Aquatics Swim Club since 2002.  Most recently she was an assistant coach for the New Hartford High School varsity swim team.  She also maintained a close relationship with the Utica College swim team this past winter as a volunteer assistant coach. Erin is a 1998 graduate of New Hartford High School where she was a standout swimmer.  She currently resides in New Hartford, NY with her husband Andrew and her daughter Tressa.  

Pinkley was hired in the summer of 2015 as the assistant coach for the Utica College water polo team. She will assist Head Coach Erin Knight with all facets of the program including recruiting, scouting, managing practices and game preparation, along with day-to-day operations in the office. Pinkley graduated from Whittier College in Whittier, CA where she was a four year letter winner in both water polo and swimming & diving. She was named a 2013 ACWPC and NCAA All-American, 2011 ACWPC All-Academic and she was also a two-time SCIAC All-Conference selection (2011, 2014). Pinkley has coaching experience in both swimming and water polo.  She has worked with swimmers ages 6-18 at the Whittier Aquatics Club. Laurel spent every high school and college summer coaching and competing for her local water polo club, Houston Water Polo. She has also competed at the Junior Olympics with Houston Water Polo from 2006-2010.