YMCA Names Lou Petto Hunterdon County Stingrays Head Coach

FLEMINGTON - River Crossing YMCA has announced a new leader of the Hunterdon County Region’s competitive swim program. Lou Petto, with over 30 years experience leading and coaching competitive swim teams, joins the Y in Hunterdon County as senior director of competitive aquatics and head coach of the YMCA Stingrays.

Previously with Upper Main Line YMCA in Berwyn, PA, as well as Ocean County YMCA and Greater Somerset County YMCA in NJ, Coach Lou has been on the aquatics coaching staff for many camps, national and international competitions, and the 2016 Paralympic games in Rio, Brazil.

“I couldn’t be more excited to work with River Crossing YMCA and the swimmers at Hunterdon,” shared Petto. “This is a great organization with talent both in and out of the pool. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Stingrays into our next chapter of successful competition.”

Coach Lou is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz, where he was inducted into the SUNY New Paltz Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999. During his four-year career with the Hawks from 1991 to 1994, he was the most decorated athlete ever to graduate from the College. Petto was a two-time team captain, six-time national champion and a 13-time NCAA All-American, establishing himself as the best swimmer in the program's history. He never lost a SUNY meet, earning 12 individual titles, and was the James Fulton Award Winner— given annually to a SUNY senior male swimmer or diver who has had the most illustrious college career. Petto is still the only student-athlete in SUNY Hawks history to be a four-time Floyd Patterson Male Athlete of the Year recipient. More information about the Y’s Hunterdon County Stingrays can be found online here.