Phil Baretela enters his fifth season as the head swimming and diving coach at RIT in 2022-23.

Baretela led the men's team to the 2021-22 Liberty League title for the first time in program history. The men's team finished with a 6-1 record in dual meets, while the women finished 6-2.

First year swimmer Anna Peshenko qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship and was named the Liberty League Swimmer of the Year. Senior Phoebe Huey broke the school record in the 50-yard freestyle at the Liberty League Championship, while KhaVy Sangasy broke Huey's record the following day.

First year diver Gellert Kish was named the Liberty League Diver of the Year, while he and classmate Neko Ferrara competed at the NCAA Diving Regional. Junior Brendan Kapp set Liberty League Association records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and broke the school records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and the 100 and 200 IM. The men's team set new school records in all five relays and set Liberty League Association records in the 200 and 400 medley relays. Other record breakers included Drew Scheib (100 backstroke, 200 butterfly), Alex Pecze (200 backstroke) and Aidan Daudier (200 freestyle, 400 IM). Scheib set Liberty League Championship meet records in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly and a Liberty League Association record in the 100 butterfly.

Baretela and diving coach Cliff Devries and assistant Emily Lederman were named  the 2021-22 Liberty League Men's and Women's Coaching Staff of the Year.

Both teams were named CSCAA Team Academic All-Americans for the fourth straight season in 2021-22. Peshenko was a First Team Scholastic All-American and Scheib and Kapp were second team selections.

Baretela led the women to a 10-0 record in dual meets, while the men were 8-1 in 2019-20. Baretela and his coaching staff were named Liberty League Men's Swimming Coaching Staff of the Year. Both the men and women's teams won the Don Richards Invitational. KhaVy Sangasy was an All-American selection in the 100-yd. and 200-yd. breaststroke, and was named Liberty League Rookie of the Year. Under his tutelage, the men set school records in all five relays, the 200-yd. butterfly, the 100 and 200-yd. breaststroke, the 100 and 200-yd. backstroke and the 200-yd. IM. The women set records in the 200-yd. breaststroke and the 200-yd. freestyle relay. Both teams were named CSCAA Team Academic All-Americans for the second straight year.

It was a memorable first season for Baretela, leading the women’s team to a perfect 10-0 record in dual meets, while the men posted six wins. The women placed second at the Liberty League Championship. Baretela, diving coach Cliff Devries and assistant coach Stephanie Ryan were named Liberty League Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Under Baretela’s tutelage, the women set six individual records and five relay records. while Amy Adams, Olivia Phillips, Sedera Zbranak and Alicia Shenal represented the Tigers at the 2019 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. Zbranak capped off her brilliant career with a runner-up finish and All-American honors in the 100-yard backstroke at the NCAA Championships.
 
The men won six dual meets and placed third at the Liberty League Championships, setting four relay records and three individual records.

Both teams excelled in the classroom, earning CSCAA Scholar All-America honors, while each team combined to have 26 (11 women, 15 men) selected to the Liberty League All-Academic Team. Adam, Zbranak and Shenal were First Team CSCAA Academic All-American selections.

Prior to taking the head coaching reigns, Baretela served 12 years as an assistant coach working extensively with the sprint group. He helped the sprinters set numerous school and conference records, and mentored 2011 RIT Sports Hall of Fame inductee Erik Zelbacher, who earned several All-American honors in 2006.

Prior to joining the staff at RIT, Baretela coached for five years at Monroe Community College where he was a member of the staff that saw swimmers earn six individual NJCAA National titles.

From 2010-2016 Coach Baretela was the head coach and program director for the Golden Comets Swim Club, a USA Swimming affiliated team. During this time, he was able to develop several of the top swimmers in Western New York and gained valuable experience in swimming traveling throughout the United States and overseas. He has coached athletes who have set New York State High School records and achieved time standards to compete in USA Swimming's Olympic Trials, Senior and Junior National events.

Coach Baretela was selected to participate in the USA Swimming's National Diversity Select Camp at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Baretela is currently on the Niagara Swimming Board of Directors as the Senior Coach Representative where he recently designed a coach mentorship program to develop coaches throughout USA Swimming's Niagara LSC.

Baretela is 1994 graduate of SUNY Cortland, earning his degree in Criminology. Baretela was a standout sprinter for the Red Dragons, helping the Red Dragons to the 1993 SUNYAC championship.

Baretela retired from the Monroe County Sherriff Office where he served as a deputy sheriff for 21 years. He lives in Chili with his wife Holly and their family.