Aug. 14, 2002

Colleen Murphy Returns To Guide Truman Swimmers

Former Truman assistant coach Colleen Murphy will be returning to Kirksville after a year away from the University. Murphy will take over as head swimming coach for the Bulldogs' men's and women's teams.

Murphy served as an assistant to former head coach Seth Huston for two years, and helped guide the women's team to the school's first ever national team title in 2000, and a runner-up finish in 1999.

"We are delighted to have Colleen back in our program," Director of Athletics Jerry Wollmering said. "She is very familiar with the high caliber of student-athletes in the program and she'll be a great fit for Truman."

Last September, Murphy took the position of assistant coach for the University of Iowa women's swimming and diving team, and most recently served as an assistant at Penn State University for the men's and women's swimming and diving teams.

While at Iowa, the women's swimming team improved to seventh in the Big 10 and provisionally qualified five women for the NCAA Division I championships. In addition, Murphy coached a breaststroker to a ninth-place finish in the 200-yard event at the DI championships.

"I'm very excited about returning to Truman," Murphy said. "The Truman swimmers have set themselves apart in the classroom and in the pool, and I look forward to continuing the University's strong tradition of nationally competitive swimmers."

She will also assume the role of Senior Woman Administrator at Truman, in addition to guiding the men and women swimmers.

Murphy, a native of Grand Blanc, Mich., was the head age group coach at the top-ranked USS swim club, Wildcat Aquatics, in Lexington, Ky., prior to her tenure at Truman.

While completing a master's degree in history at the University of Kentucky, she was also a teaching assistant in the history department and an assistant coach for the Spindletop Hall swim team.

Murphy earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from Oakland University (Mich.), graduating cum laude.

She was a member of the Oakland swimming team that earned its fifth national championship in 1994 and was runnerup from 1995-97. While a member of the OU team, Murphy was named an all-America five times and was a three-time academic all-America. She qualified for junior nationals in the backstroke events from 1992-97.

Murphy gained additional experience as an assistant coach for the Geckos Swim Team in Tucson, Ariz., during the summers of 1996 and 1997. From 1991-1994, she also served as head coach of the Atlas Valley Country Club swim team in Grand Blanc.

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