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 experience to Charlotte, with a background ranging from age-group, collegiate and professional swimmers. Prior to Queens, Ptasnik spent time 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 specializing in sprint events, including World Champions, Olympic gold medalists, World Record holders and Olympians from many different countries. Ptasnik has coached at many major competitions, including the U.S. Olympic Trials, U.S. 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 more than 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 continues to lead the sport through innovation and technology, playing an integral role in the development of eo swimBETTER, the Athlee camera system and ISNation, a platform dedicated to supporting athletes’ mental health.
Ptasnik swam at the University of Iowa, earning a degree in finance in 2005, and was the recipient of the Jim Marshall Award, which is bestowed to the men’s senior who contributes to the team at the highest levels. He also has an MBA from the University of Hawaii. He is accompanied by his wife, Shana, an electrophysiologist at Novant Presbyterian Hospital, their son, Max, and their dog, Archie.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, Ptasnik has played an integral role in the continued success of the Queens swimming program. Under his guidance, the Queens men’s team has captured back-to-back National Invitational Championships in 2024 and 2025 and back-to-back Atlantic Sun Conference Championships in 2024 and 2025. The Queens women’s team has also established itself among the nation’s top programs, earning top-five finishes at both the National Invitational Championships and Atlantic Sun Conference Championships in each of the last three seasons.
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 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 Director of Men's & Women's Swimming
