This spring, the former Hamilton All-American and current school record holder in the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke coached the Manhattan Streamliners at the New York State Special Olympics Games hosted at Hamilton’s Bristol Pool. At the event, the team’s eight swimmers brought home six gold, two silver, and five bronze medals.
“It was really a full circle moment coming back to campus for this past meet and being alongside Coach John [Geissinger], who was a significant part of my four years at Hamilton,” Vicioso said.
Giving back through swimming isn’t something Vicioso picked up after college. He began volunteering with the Special Olympics while he was still in high school and continued coaching with the Streamliners after arriving at Hamilton.
“Swimming has been such a big part of my life, and so I wanted to give something back to the sport,” he said. “Swimming gave me a lot of opportunities, like being recruited by Coach John and becoming a Continental.”
For Hamilton Head Swimming and Diving Coach Geissinger, Vicioso’s commitment to making the sport more welcoming and accessible was evident throughout his four years at Hamilton.
“Coaching Emilio was a true privilege,” Geissinger said. “In conjunction with his mental strength and athletic ‘twitch,’ Emilio possessed a deep care for inclusion, and led a NESCAC-wide DEI conversation with swimmers and divers related to accessibility and historical barriers that prevent certain population groups from gaining the life-saving skill of swimming.”
Today, Vicioso lives in his hometown of New York City where he works at BlackRock, a corporation he originally interned with through Hamilton’s Career Center, on the firm’s hedge fund solutions team. Outside of work, he continues to stay immersed in the sport, swimming with a master’s team while coaching the Streamliners.
“Continuing to swim with NYAC and coach post-grad with Special Olympics really helped me to further appreciate the sport and love it even more,” he said.
Watching his athletes grow has become one of the most rewarding parts of that commitment.
“The athletes love the sport. They love being in the water,” Vicioso said. “They’re very passionate and are eager to get feedback. Everybody is there because they want to be. It’s been really cool seeing the athletes improve and get faster from meet to meet.”
For Vicioso, returning to Hamilton wasn’t just a chance to revisit familiar surroundings; it was an opportunity to share the sport that shapes his own life with athletes who find the same joy in the water and help them to create memories of their own.
Posted July 14, 2026
