Now in her 12th season as head coach of the Nazareth men’s and women’s swim teams, Martie Staser has been a stabilizing influence on both programs while also lending significance at the national level.
The women’s swim team has compiled a dual-meet record of 83-27 (.755) during her 11 seasons, including undefeated campaigns in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2009-10. Nazareth also has placed high in the Empire 8 Conference championship meet in each of the last 11 seasons while winning 45 conference titles. She was named E8 Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2007.
The crowning achievement of her successful tenure was helping guide Emily Lesher to an NCAA Division III title in the 400-yard individual medley in 2007. Lesher missed duplicating that honor by a fraction of a second in 2008, but she completed her brilliant career as a nine-time All-American under the assistance of Staser, who also coached Aubrey Kirchoff to All-American honors in 2006 and Carissa Risucci in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Nazareth also has had national qualifiers in Lauren McKinney (2008, 2009, 2010), Jaclyn Conklin (2009), Rachael Phipps (2012), Maura Reissig (2012), Emily Sauter (2012) and Cameron Hess (2015). Risucci, Phipps, Reissig and Sauter combined to earn All-American honors in both the 200 and 400 medley relays in 2012. Risucci narrowly missed winning a national title in the 200 breaststroke in 2013, placing second and becoming a seven-time All-American.
Staser, a former swimming standout at the University of Buffalo, was named head men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach at Nazareth in 2004.
Staser grew up in New Hampshire, then swam scholastically at Germantown Academy near Philadelphia. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from UB, where she was a four-year letterwinner in swimming and a Mid-Continent Conference champion in four events. She served as team captain in 1995-96 and 1996-97 and was a first-team all-conference selection all four seasons there.
At UB, Staser won conference titles in the 1650 free, 500 free, 200 fly and 400 IM. Other accolades included selection as Academic All-Conference in 1994, 1996 and 1997.
In addition to coaching swimming and serving as aquatics director, Staser coordinates Nazareth's CHAMPS/Life Skills program as Assistant Athletic Director for Student Athlete Welfare. She and husband, Chris, are parents of sons Ty and Luke.
