Benjamin Kutufaris

Chief Communications Officer & Consultant

I have spent over 16 years in the water competing. Competition and the grind have always fueled me, and of course the natural love of the game. Spending years as a captain and leader at Malvern Prep shaped my view on how swimming is deeper than swimming up and down a pool. Having swum at a Top-20 University in the NCAA for two years (The University of Alabama), I have gained lots of knowledge on the ins and outs of the sport, especially at the collegiate level. I am excited to obtain even more information and insight from a new university and conference at Penn State University for the next 2 years. Living the life as a Division-I athlete is not as lavish as it might look on TV. The realities are much harder to navigate than it seems, things like NIL, Recruiting, Transfer Portal, Roster limits, etc.

Coming onto the Lane Line Recruiting team as the Chief Communications Officer has been more than exciting. I have a passion for helping lead young athletes through these difficult situations. My personal experience with navigating recruiting and the transfer portal has led me to this journey of guiding athletes through this part of their life. At LLR, we make sure athletes are making the best decisions for business, athletics, and academics.

My Path to Collegiate Swimming

Growing up in the Philadelphia area, I was engulfed in a large sports culture. I played every sport imaginable growing up. Soccer, baseball, track and field, lacrosse, football, basketball, swimming, and water polo. Each of those sports had a key role of shaping who I am as a man and an athlete today. I was blessed to be given an opportunity to attend Malvern Preparatory School in Malvern, Pennsylvania where I had to make a hard decision to pursue either football or swimming and ultimately it came down to swimming being my best path to live my athletic dreams. As hard as that decision was, a part of me knew swimming was the answer, it is what 6 year old me said I would be doing for the rest of my life. I was a fairly high recruit after my sophomore year and got to talk to and visit many power 5 universities. After all the madness of recruiting I decided Alabama was the place for me and officially committed in September of my junior year. Those two years after committing came with lots of ups and downs, from lows like feeling like I was losing myself in the sport to all time highs like winning a YMCA National Championship with my best friends. I got to see a lot of cool things and swim in some cool meets in that period. Through it all, I left it all in the pool and was ready to make my mark on the SEC in Tuscaloosa.

SEC to B1G

Competing at The University of Alabama was a dream come true. I had an incredible time being apart of such a big program like Alabama. I learned many things about training habits, recovery, nutrition, strength training, etc. Swimming in the SEC, the pinnacle of the sport at the collegiate level was incredible. I got to train with some of the best athletes in the world and made some friends I will be close with for life. Although it was great, I felt I wasn’t excelling as an athlete the way I knew I could have. Being apart of The Crimson Tide was a wonderful experience but after my sophomore year I decided to enter the transfer portal and test my options. Navigating the transfer portal was a difficult and crazy experience, it was an accelerated version of recruiting. After some visits and long conversations with my parents and coaches, I accepted an offer at Penn State University where I will swim the next two years of my career. I have been a Penn State guy at heart for most of my life, so it is exciting to be back home!

Swimming Accolades

  • USA Swimming Scholastic All-American

  • Three-time YMCA National Champion

  • National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA) All-American

  • Set two YMCA national records in the 200-meter free relay and 200-yard free relay

  • Pennsylvania State University Nittany Lions Men’s Swimming & Diving team, 2025 to present

  • University of Alabama Crimson Tide Men’s Swimming & Diving team, 2023-2025.

Professional Experience

  • Command Holdings Group, Inc. Intern

  • Athlete to Athlete Mentor

  • Lifeguard and private swimming instructor

Professional Certifications & Memberships

  • Peregrine Leadership and Communication Certificate

  • Front Office Sports: Athlete Marketing Essentials: NIL Certification

Education

  • B.A. Communications, Pennsylvania State University, Expected May 2027

  • University of Alabama, Culverhouse College of Business, August 2023 to May 2025