Brian Tobin enters his 24th year as head swimming and diving coach at SUNY Cortland in 2025-26.
Tobin has led Cortland's men to a combined 174-106 (.621) dual-meet record, including 10 or more wins nine times, and the women to a combined 178-89-2 mark (.665) with 14 seasons of at least eight victories. He has been named the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Coach of the Year six times on the men's side (2005-06, 2009-10, 2012-13 and 2014-15, along with SUNYAC Men's Co-Coaching Staff of the Year in 2021-22 and 2024-25) and three on the women's side (2009-10 and 2011-12, along with a SUNYAC Women's Coaching Staff of the Year honor in 2019-20). Tobin's men's and women's teams have each finished in the top three at the SUNYAC Championships 18 times.
Tobin guided both the men's and women's teams to SUNYAC titles with first-place finishes at the combined SUNYAC-AMCC Championships in 2024-25. The Red Dragons won 10 event titles and 31 athletes earned a total of 60 all-conference honors at the combined conference championship meet. Tobin and his staff were also honored as the SUNYAC-AMCC Coaching Staff of the Meet on both the men's and women's sides. At the conclusion of the season, Cortland had five student-athletes earn SUNYAC major awards, and Tobin and his staff were the SUNYAC Men's Coaching Staff of the Year. Cortland also had three divers, two on the men's side and one on the women's side, qualify for the regional championships.
In 2023-24, both the men's and women's teams finished second at the SUNYAC Championships and had a combined three divers qualify for NCAA regionals (two were unable to compete due to injury). In 2022-23 the Red Dragons also earned SUNYAC runner-up finishes on both the men's and women's sides and had four divers qualify for regionals, with one advancing to nationals. In 2021-22, the Cortland men and women were each SUNYAC runner-up and, behind an All-America diver, the women finished 29th at the NCAA Division III Championships.
In 2018-19, Tobin led the Cortland women to a SUNYAC runner-up finish and, paced by an All-America swimmer, a tie for 40th nationally. In 2019-20, both the Red Dragon men's and women's teams finished second in the conference, with one women's diver winning an NCAA regional title to earn a national berth (the NCAA championship was canceled). In the 2014-15 season, Tobin's men's squad became only the third team in the conference since 1989, and the first in 10 years, to win all five relays at the SUNYAC Championships. The team finished second in the final team standings. In the 2013-14 season, Tobin's women's squad finished with a 10-3 record and placed second in the SUNYAC. His 2013-14 and 2015-16 women's teams each featured an All-America diver and finished 44th and tied for 54th nationally, respectively, while his 2016-17 and 2017-18 men's squads each featured an NCAA qualifying diver.
In the 2012-13 season, Tobin guided the Cortland men to a 12-5 record and their first SUNYAC title since 1998. In the process, Cortland ended Geneseo's streak of 14 straight league titles. The women's squad finished second in the SUNYAC, its best finish in seven years, and ended the year 9-6 in dual meets. The Red Dragon women earned All-America honors in one individual event and one relay and finished 37th nationally. In 2009-10, his men's squad went 15-2 to set a school record for dual wins, finished second at the SUNYAC Championships and placed 43rd nationally in Division III. His women's team was 11-4, finished fourth in the SUNYAC and was 33rd in the country. His swimmers earned two men's and two women's All-America honors at the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships.
In 2010-11, Tobin guided Cortland's men to a 13-3 dual record and a SUNYAC runner-up finish, while the women were 10-3 and third in the SUNYAC. In 2011-12, the men finished second in the SUNYAC for the seventh straight year and were 10-4 in dual meets. The women went 9-3, placed third at the SUNYAC meet and qualified a relay for the NCAA Championships.
In 2008-09, Tobin led the men’s team to a second-place finish at the conference meet. In 2007-08, he guided the men’s team to a second-place finish, and the women’s team had a swimmer compete at the NCAA Championships. In 2006-07, Tobin guided both the men’s and women’s teams to second-place finishes at the SUNYAC Championships and had a men’s diver compete at the NCAA Division III Championships. In 2005-06, besides placing second at the SUNYAC Championships, both the men’s and women’s teams sent competitors to the national meet for the first time since the 1990s.
Prior to his arrival at Cortland, Tobin was a volunteer assistant coach with the men’s and women’s varsity swimming and diving teams at North Carolina State University during the 2001-02 season, where he was also a lecturer in physical education. Previously, Tobin held the position of head men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach at the State University of New York at Potsdam from 1996-2001. His initial collegiate coaching position was as a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse from 1994-96.
Tobin is a 1994 graduate of SUNY Cortland, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Education with a minor in sociology. In 1996, he earned his Masters of Science in Recreation Management from Wisconsin-La Crosse. Tobin was an eight-time All-American as a member the Cortland swimming and diving team, earning seven honors as a competitor on relay teams and one honor in the 100-yard freestyle. He also captured 12 SUNYAC titles over three seasons, held the school record in the 100-yard butterfly until 2008 and was a member of three school and one conference record-holding relay teams.
A native of Poughkeepsie, Tobin attended Arlington High School, graduating in 1989. He was a four-year member of the swimming and diving team.
In addition to his full-time job as Cortland's swimming and diving coach, Tobin also served as the mayor of the city of Cortland from 2012-21.
(updated 6/18/2025)
