Marc Danin
Swimming & Diving - Head Coach
Contact: mdanin@clarkson.edu
Phone: 315-268-3745
Marc Danin is entering his fifth season as the head coach for the Clarkson University Swimming & Diving program for the 2025-26 season.
Under the guidance of Danin, the Golden Knights broke 13 school marks in 2024-25, seven for the men and six for the women, including some that were two or three decades old. The prior year, eight school records were broken in 2022-23, including four individual marks, with three accomplished by first-year collegians. Clarkson's men placed fourth in the Liberty League Championships for the second straight season, while the women took eighth.
A 2016 graduate of Oswego State with a degree in English, Danin most recently worked as assistant coach and aquatics manager at Vassar College, though the Brewers did not compete in the 2021 season due to the pandemic. Before his stint at Vassar, Danin served as assistant coach for St. Lawrence University while working on his graduate degree in Educational Leadership. While serving as assistant for the Saints, Danin was responsible for training programs as well as individualized strength and conditioning programs based on events and goals. He also developed video analysis to improve upon the St. Lawrence swimmers' approaches to their individual events.
While coaching in Canton, Danin also served as head swim coach at the Northport Yacht Club, leading a group of 145 athletes from the ages of 5 to 18.
Prior to his stint at St. Lawrence, Danin served as coach for Islanders Aquatics in Sayville, NY, where he served as coach and mentor to four athletes to score in the top thirty spots at the NSCA Junior Nationals, with two having nationally-recognized top 25 times in the country for their respective events and age groups.
Finn Halstead
Swimming & Diving - Assistant Coach
Contact: halstefw@clarkson.edu
Phone: 315-268-3745
Finn Halstead is entering his second season as the Clarkson University Swimming and Diving team’s Assistant Swimming Coach for the 2025-2026 season.
A graduate of Clarkson University, Halstead earned a bachelor's degree in Engineering and Management while competing on the Swimming and Diving team for three years. Competing in numerous different events as a Golden Knight, Halstead appeared in the Liberty League Championships during the 2022-23 and 2021-22 seasons for the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle events. In addition to these events, he also featured in the 50 butterfly, 200 individual medley, 50 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke as one of the team's most versatile members.
Along with his role with the team at Clarkson, Halstead was also a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Board, volunteered with the Potsdam High School swim team and is the Treasurer of Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Spencer Bernat
Swimming & Diving - Assistant Coach (Diving)
Contact: bernatsg@clarkson.edu
Phone: 315-268-3745
Bernat is entering his second season as the diving coach for the Golden Knights in 2025-2026.
A graduate of Husson University in Bangor, Maine, Bernat earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management while as a member of the Swimming and Diving and Men's Soccer teams. Competing in diving and freestyle, Bernat compiled an impressive resume of results over his five year career with the Eagles, being named North Atlantic Conference Diver of the Week a total of 21 times while.
During his sophomore year, he set numerous different personal bests in the 50-yard freestyle, the 50 yard backstroke and in the one, five and six meter dives while clinching the North Atlantic Conference men’s one-meter diving championship. As a junior, Bernat repeated as the NAC one-meter diving champion while also earning All-New England honors after finishing second overall in the one-meter dive at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association meet. In his senior year, he defended his claim as the NAC one-meter diving champion and was named the North Atlantic Conference Diver of the Year, recording three first-place finishes in four meets. As a grad student, Bernat earned nine wins, four runner-up and two third-place finishes in 11 meets while capturing the NAC one-meter diving championship, for the fourth consecutive year, finishing runner-up in the Metro one-meter dive, winning the NAC three-meter diving championship and was named the NAC Diver of the Year for the second straight season.
In addition to an impressive swim and dive career, Bernat also brings experience in social media management, working with the Mystic Schooners of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, while also working as a coach and lifeguard during his time at Husson.
