Westlake, Ohio - Oberlin College Head Swimming and Diving Coach Alex de la Peña along with assistant coaches Jessica Padilla and Lucas Draper were named North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Swimming Staff of the Year, the league office announced on Thursday morning. 

Now in his sixth season at the helm of the program, de la Peña guided the Yeomen to a fifth-place showing at the NCAC Swimming & Diving Championships in the toughest NCAA Division III conference in the country.

Throughout the four-day meet, the Yeomen produced 11 school records, three NCAA B-cut qualifying times, and 26 all-time top-10 times between the men's and women's programs. 

The Yeomen recorded four all-conference finishes, all of which featured junior standout Erik Fendorf. The Stanford, California, native placed second in the 100-yard fly with a school-record B-cut time of 48.66 and was third in the 50 free (20.57). 

Oberlin's 200-yard medley relay team team of Myles Felt, Isaac Viviano, Fendorf, and Daniel Bocsi also earned a bronze medal, placing third in a school-record time of 1:30.73. The foursome did the same in double distance, placing third in the 400-yard medley relay with a school-record time of 3:20.57. 

With 63 all-conference slots available between the 21 contested events at the championships, only eight were claimed by athletes not from either Kenyon or Denison with four of those going to Oberlin. 

The all-conference performances mark the first for any male athlete in the program since Chris McLauchlan finished second in 3-meter diving 2013. For swimming events, they foursome are the first All-NCAC honorees since 2001 when John Limouze won the 200-yard butterfly. 

The award marks the first Coach of the Year for the program since 2019 when former head coach Andrew Brabson was NCAC Women's Coach of the Year. It was also the first time since 2006 Oberlin won the award on the men's side when legendary hall of fame coach Dick Micahels was bestowed the honors. 

The season continues on for the all-conference performers this weekend at the Kenyon College Fast Chance meet.