BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former West Chester University of Pennsylvania men’s water polo athlete/swimmer and current Hartwick College Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving coach Dale Rothenberger will be inducted as a member of the 2025 Hartwick Athletics Hall of Fame class.
The induction ceremony will take place in the evening on Saturday, September 20, in the Anderson Center for the Arts as part of Hartwick College’s True Blue Weekend festivities.
Rothenberger recently completed his 40th season as head coach of Hartwick’s swimming and diving programs in 2024-2025. In addition to his coaching duties, he is the Director of Aquatics and a lecturer in the Physical Education Department.
Although the program has had five head coaches since 1976, it was under the direction of Rothenberger that the Hawks’ program became one of the nation’s best with 38 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship appearances- 22 for the men and 16 for the women.
Under his leadership, Hartwick has achieved:
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639 total dual-meet wins—the most in program history
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Men’s record: 348-149
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Women’s record: 291-219
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6 Empire 8 Conference Championships
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1 Allegheny-Empire Conference Championship
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3 Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association (UNYSCSA) Championships
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3 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships
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16 NCAA Top 50 Finishes, including 8 Top 25 finishes
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48 All-America honors between the men’s and women’s teams
A decorated coach in his own right, Rothenberger has been recognized as:
- 5x UNYSCSA Men’s Coach of the Year
- 3x UNYSCSA Women’s Coach of the Year
- 2x Empire 8 Coach of the Year
- 2023-24 Empire 8 Conference Championship & Allegheny-Empire Championship Coach of the Meet
Rothenberger received his bachelor’s degree in physical education, recreation and health from West Chester in 1979 and a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Slippery Rock University in 1987. During his undergraduate days, Rothenberger was a four-year letterman in both swimming and water polo at West Chester. As a Golden Ram, he was a four-time NCAA Division II qualifier and a two-time swimming All-America selection in both 1978 and 1979. At the time of his graduation, Rothenberger left holding several WCU school records. He also participated in many water polo tournaments as an all-star player and coach.
Rothenberger has coached U.S. Swimming age group teams, as well as high school teams in Pennsylvania and in New York. He has coached several U.S.S. Junior and Senior national qualifiers, U.S.S. Eastern Zone Championship finalists, as well as Empire State Games title winners. Rothenberger’s athletic resume includes participating in three Hawaiian IRONMAN Triathlon World Championships (1987,1988, 1992). He received TriFed All-America status in the 30-34 age group for his triathlon performances.
