Assistant Coach Brian Peresie will begin his 8th season in his current role with the Bobcats this fall. Since returning to Athens in 2003, Brian has played a vital role in the continued success of the program. During his first season, he was the primary coach for the distance group. The following season Brian began working with the sprint group and has helped build one of most dominant sprint programs in the conference. One of the highlights of the 2010 Women's MAC Championships for the team was the 200 free relay team, who broke the school and conference records in a time of 1:30.05! The performance ranked the Bobcats 15th in the country in the event at the time and would have placed 10th at the NCAA Championships!
Brian's career at Ohio initially began in 1996 as a member of the Men's Swimming & Diving program. He was a four-year letter winner for the Bobcats, and was voted team captain as a junior and senior. After finishing his eligibility in 2000, Brian stayed on as a student assistant while he finished his degree.
Following graduation, he moved to northern Ohio and began coaching at Lake Shore Swim Club in Rocky River as an age group assistant coach. This experience led them to Ashland University, where he was named the assistant coach and took on the responsibilities of recruiting coordinator. The program improved tremendously during his two seasons, and their success was highlighted by 19 NCAA Division II All-American performances and 11 school records.
Brian lives in Athens with his wife Emily and their two sons, Brayden and Blake.
