Women's Swimming & Diving

Joe Yeskewicz has more than 50 years in the field of competitive aquatics, having coached multiple levels of swimming, diving, and water polo. He is a 1965 graduate of Springfield College, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. He participated in freshman and varsity swimming at Springfield, lettering all four years. While at Springfield, he also was a member of the Physical Education Majors’ Club, and Phi Epsilon Kappa, the physical education majors’ honorary fraternity. After graduating from Springfield, he attended graduate school at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he served as Diving Coach, graduate assistant instructor of physical education activity classes, and graduate supervisor for men’s resident halls.

In 1967, he taught physical education at the SUNY Agricultural & Technical College, Farmingdale, NY, and coached varsity bowling. In January 1968, he assumed duties as Resident Director/Physical Education Professor/Coach of Swimming & Diving/ Freshman Soccer Coach at Lowell Technological Institute, Lowell, MA (now UMass-Lowell).

In September of 1969, Bridgewater State College appointed him as an instructor of physical education, and varsity swimming & diving coach, where he served until 1993. During that time, BSC teams had success, and in 1976 BSC had its first NCAA Div. III All-American, Michael Arsenault. “Coach Y” also served as president of the NEISDA and the Eastern Mass. Swimming Officials Association, and he earned certification in the New England Water Polo Referees Association. Coach “Y” has served on the diving judges’ panel at all three levels of NCAA competition, and he was referee for the NEISDA Championships and the NCAA Div. II Championships. He taught courses in the Movement Arts Department at BSU until retiring in 2013, as an Associate Professor.

After retiring from coaching at Bridgewater, he established the varsity swimming & diving team at Oliver Ames HS, and retired from that position in 2002. A few years later, he assisted as a volunteer with the Gleason Family Y swim team, retiring after eight years. In 2013, BSU called for a volunteer coaching assistant, which is his current assignment.

During his career many swimming, diving, and water polo clinics were attended, and “Coach Y” directed several competitive Swim Camps at BSC, UMass-Dartmouth, and Massasoit Community College, and several diving clinics. At BSU, he taught many physical education activity courses and theory courses such as Applied Musculo-Skeletal Anatomy, and Coaching. He was also a Red Cross volunteer and was certified as an Instructor Trainer in Water Safety and Lifeguard Training.

“Coach Y” is married to Sandy Yeskewicz, and they have two sons and three grandsons. The Yeskewicz’s reside in Middleboro, MA.