Samantha Pitter is beginning her fifth season with the MIT swimming and diving programs, and her first as Acting Head Coach, stepping in for Dawn Dill who will be on maternity leave for the 2012-13 season.

Over the past four seasons, her work has been instrumental in bringing the Engineers to unprecedented levels of success. As an assistant coach, she helped lead the men’s team to four consecutive NEWMAC Championships and Top-10 NCAA finishes, with program high 4th place finishes in 2011 and 2012. Last year, the MIT women defended their NEWMAC title and placed 8th in the country, their first ever top 10 NCAA finish.

Pitter most recently attended the 2012 Olympic Trials with Wyatt Ubellacker ‘13, the first ever MIT swimmer to represent the Engineers at such a level. Ubellacker placed 21st in the 50-meter free, narrowly missing the semi-finals by a tenth of a second.  Pitter was also recognized for her contribution to MIT athletics in 2010 when she received the SAAC Superior Service Award, presented to the member of the MIT community that goes above and beyond to provide support for the student athlete experience.

Before arriving at MIT, Pitter earned a Bachelor’s degree in economics and communication from Hamilton College in 2007. She was a four-time All-American sprinter, school record holder, team captain and NESCAC All-Academic recipient during her four years with the Continentals. She received her Masters of Education in physical education and coaching from Boston University in 2011. In addition to her work with the MIT team, she has also coached masters swimmers for the past four years at Cambridge Masters Swim Club and most recently Boston University Masters Swim.

Dawn Dill completed her ninth season as the head coach of MIT's men's and women's swimming and diving programs in 2011-12. She guided the women's team to an Institute-best eighth-place finish at the 2012 NCAA Championship as well as its second straight NEWMAC title. The Engineers have tallied 88 All-America honors during her tenure. Dill will be on maternity leave during the 2012-13 season.

MIT has registered a 66-19 dual meet record and broken 22 of 25 Institute records over the past nine seasons. Each year, multiple athletes have earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference and CSCAA Scholar-Athlete awards. On the women's side, Dill is a two-time NEWMAC Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. She was awarded the Certificate of Excellence by the American Swimming Coaches Association for the past seven years and serves as an Associate Professor in MIT's Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation.

Before her arrival at MIT, Dill coached at Vassar College from 2001-03, one season as an assistant coach and one season as the interim head coach. Under her tutelage, the Brewers broke 23 school records during the 2002-03 campaign. Prior to Vassar, Dill served as a graduate assistant coach for the Smith College swimming and diving program from 1999-01. She was also an assistant coach for the University of Massachusetts women's swimming and water polo teams in 1998-99.

Dill received a bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1996 and also earned a Master's of Science in exercise and sport studies from her alma mater in 2001. A seven-time All-American in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, she was named the New England Swimmer of the Year in 1996. Dill was a seven-time New England champion in the 50, 100, and 200 breaststroke and an eight-time Seven Sisters champion. She was also honored as both an Academic All-American and ECAC Scholar Athlete.

Brad Snodgrass is a two-time NCAA Diving Coach of the Year, honored in 2005 and 2008. He was also awarded NEWMAC Diving Coach of the Year accolades in 2005, 2007 and 2008. In 2005 and again in 2007 he coached MIT diver Doria Holbrook '08 to NCAA championship titles on the three-meter springboard.

Snodgrass is also employed at Novartis as a chemist.

Paul Fields is entering his fourth season coaching at MIT.

A 2009 graduate from Pomona College, he earned a degree in biology. As a four-year member of the Pomona-Pitzer swim team, Fields specialized in sprint freestyle. He served as a team captain his senior year and he represented the team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years, co-chairing the committee his senior year. His intercollegiate athletic pursuits extended beyond swimming, as he also a member of the Pomona-Claremont ultimate frisbee team.

Fields is currently a PhD student in biology at MIT.

Nicole O'Keeffe is beginning her fourth season as an assistant coach for the MIT swimming and diving team and is thrilled to be back at the Z-Center.

O'Keefe graduated from MIT in June 2009 with a degree in mechanical engineering. A four-year letterwinner and team captain, O'Keeffe was a two-time honorable mention All-America (400 Medley Relay, 800 Free Relay), and a two-time individual NCAA Qualifier (400 IM, 1650 Free). She also holds three school records (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 Breast), and owns the NEWMAC Championship and Open records in the 400 IM.

Eric Robinson will be in his second season on the MIT swimming and diving coaching staff. A 2011 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in mathematics, Robinson swam four years at the Academy, serving as team captain in his senior year. He currently holds Academy top-10 times in the 400 IM, 200 butterfly, and 200 freestyle events and was also a member of the Academy’s 800 freestyle relay record-setting team. Robinson is a graduate student at MIT working toward a master’s degree in operations research.