Canisius University Athletics

Scott Vanderzell is entering his fourteenth season as the head coach for the Canisius College men and women's swimming and diving programs. Vanderzell was named the head coach on Sept. 18, 2008, coming to the College after serving as the aquatic director at the University at Buffalo since 2000.

Vanderzell has helped continually improve the Canisius College swimming and diving program during his time at the helm. In 2014-15, the women's program recorded its best finish in program history at the MAAC Championship, placing second and recording 528 points, which was also a program record. The strong showing by the Griffs led to Vanderzell being named the MAAC 2014-15 Women's Coach of the Year. 

The men's program has also found success in recent years as the Griffs have finished in the top-three at the MAAC Championship in each of the last five seasons. Vanderzell also coached the most decorated swimmer in Canisius history, Shawn Parkhurst, who captured five individual MAAC titles.

Vanderzell has coached for over 10 years at the collegiate level and has more than 20 years of age-group coaching experience. A 1995 graduate of Buffalo State College, he was the interim head women's swimming coach at the University at Buffalo for the 2005-06 season and served as UB's assistant men's coach during the 2006-07 campaign. During his time at Buffalo, which also included a stint as the women's assistant coach from 2000-05, Vanderzell recruited a number of high-level student-athletes and coached the 2003 and 2005 MAC Swimmer of the Year. He helped lead a number of swimmers that went on to United States, Canadian and other International and Olympic trial qualifiers. 

Since 1995, Vanderzell has been the head coach for the Tonawanda Titans in Kenmore, N.Y. During his tenure with the Titans, he has helped form the group into one of the premier swim clubs in New York State, illustrated by the fact that 20 of the club's members qualified for the Zone Championships during the summer of 2008. Those 20 swimmers accounted for half of the Eastern zone team. Vanderzell and his wife Sherri have four children; Taylor, Zachary, Kyle and Kayleigh.