Tyrrell Named New Men’s Swimming Coach

After leading the Harvard men’s swimming and diving team to one of its most successful seasons in recent memory, Kevin M. Tyrrell—who served as interim head coach for the 2013-14 season following Tim D. Murphy’s departure last fall—has been named the permanent head coach, Director of Athletics Robert L. Scalise announced in a press release Tuesday.

Tyrrell was promoted to interim coach after serving as assistant coach for four seasons. Under his leadership, Harvard captured its 23rd Ivy League Championship and spoiled Princeton’s five-year conference-title streak.

The announcement comes one month after Harvard began a search to fill Murphy’s old position. Patricia Henry, a senior associate director of athletics, led the search group.

In a letter to the Friends of Harvard Swimming and Diving last month, Scalise called Tyrrell “an outstanding internal candidate” but acknowledged the need to assess outside options before coming to a decision.

According to swimmer Griffin T. Schumacher ’15, his teammates hoped that the search committee would make the decision to keep Tyrrell in the position instead of hiring someone unfamiliar with the program.

“I think the whole team really wanted [Tyrrell] to get the job, and none of us are really surprised,” Schumacher said.

Scalise echoed Schumacher’s enthusiasm.

“Along with possessing an in-depth knowledge of the sport of swimming, Kevin [Tyrrell] also cares deeply about his student-athletes' success in academics,” Scalise wrote in the release. “He is a great fit to continue to lead our proud program."

Tyrrell brings 20 years of coaching experience to the Crimson, including stints as a volunteer coach from 2000 to 2004 and an assistant coach from 2009 to 2013, when he was in charge of recruiting potential student-athletes.

Assistant coach Samantha Pitter said that she feels confident that Tyrrell’s extensive experience will be a beneficial factor as the team attempts to go for back-to-back titles next season.

“He’s been here for so long that he knows the system well and can support all the other coaches with his knowledge,” said Pitter, who was brought in for the 2013-14 season after Murphy left for the head coach position at Penn State. “He really wants the whole team on the same page, and that includes everyone on the coaching staff.”

In the press release, Tyrrell also expressed excitement to continue his tenure at Harvard.

“I look forward to continuing my work with the team and connecting the generations of Harvard swimmers and divers with each other as we move forward to even greater levels of success," Tyrrell said in the release.

—Staff writer Forrest K. Lewis can be reached at forrest.lewis@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Caleb Y. Lee can be reached at caleblee@college.harvard.edu.