Elise Gibbs, a former All-American swimmer at New York University, was hired as an assistant swim coach of the Violets’ men’s and women’s teams prior to the 2019-20 season.
The 2021-22 season concluded with the both the men’s team (11th) and women’s team (13th) finishing among the best in the nation at the NCAA Division III Championships. A total of 38 All-America honors were achieved by swimmers and divers, while two National Champions (Caitlin Marshall – 200 butterfly; Jessica Flynn – 100 backstroke) were produced. Flynn led the team with four All-America honors, while Graham Chatoor, Nika Kouznetsova and Isabel Oldham each earned three.
NYU did not compete in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, a total of 16 men and 16 women earned University Athletic Association (UAA) Winter Sport All-Academic honors.
During Gibbs’ first campaign in ’19-20, 26 team members earned 60 All-America honors, all qualifying for the NCAA Championships but unable to compete when the event was canceled due to Covid-19. Individually, Honore Collins and Sydney Catron led the women’s team with seven event qualifications, while Giorgio DelGrosso led the men with four.
The women’s team, which finished the season ranked #6 in the nation by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), tied its best finish ever with a second-place showing at the UAA Championships and NYU received UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
The men’s team, which was ranked #14 in the nation by the CSCAA at the end of the season after having risen as high as #6 during the campaign, finished third at the UAA Championships.
Both teams were victorious at both the NYU Fall Invitational and the Ithaca College Bomber Invitational.
In addition to her seven All-America honors, Collins won five UAA titles and was named both UAA Swimmer of the Year and NYU Senior Athlete of the Year. DelGrosso won two UAA backstroke events and was named Co-Swimmer of the Year. Both student-athletes earned CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-America At-Large honors and were named CSCAA Scholar All-Americans. Flynn, who was a member of two winning relays at the UAA’s, was named UAA Co-Rookie of the Year and NYU Female Freshman of the Year.
A 2017 graduate of NYU’s College of Arts and Science with a Bachelor of Arts degree inCchemistry and a minor in Mathematics, Gibbs was a two-year captain of the Violets. She earned a total of 13 All-America and Honorable Mention All-America accolades during her four seasons and was named a CSCAA Scholar All-American as a freshman.
While the majority of Gibbs’ All-America performances came as a member of various NYU relay teams, she earned the honor individually with an eighth-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.58) as a sophomore.
Gibbs set seven team records during her career. Individually, she established marks in the 50-yard freestyle (23.32), 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.31) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:18.49). She was also part of four record-setting Violet relays: the 200-yard medley relay (1:41.43), 400-yard medley relay (3:46.10), 200-yard freestyle relay (1:33.56), and 400-yard (3:24.69) freestyle relay.
Also while an undergraduate at NYU, Gibbs served as a lifeguard at the Palladium Athletic Facility Natatorium and as an instructor at the annual New York University Swim Camp.
A native of Manteo, NC, Gibbs resides in Manhattan.
