McCollum named interim head swimming coach
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McCollum was twice named Middlebury College’s Swimmer of the Year. |
LEWISTON, Maine — Bates College has named Mike McCollum the interim head swimming coach for the 2006-07 season.
McCollum, the assistant swimming coach at Bates for the past two years, steps in for Dana Mulholland, Bates’ Associate Director of Athletics, who has retired from coaching swimming at Bates after 18 years and currently serves as Interim Director of Athletics.
“I am excited about the opportunity to lead the Bates College Athletic Department during our search for a new Athletic Director, but leaving swimming is not easy,” said Mulholland. “I will miss the connections to our students and the excitement of competition. I am pleased and confident in knowing that the swimming and diving program will grow under the supervision of Mike McCollum.”
McCollum is a 1997 graduate of Middlebury College, where he was an eight-time NCAA Division III All-American and a 10-time NESCAC champion, as well as NESCAC Swimmer of the Year in 1994. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Middlebury, as well as a Master of Arts degree in Roman military history from Vermont College.
Prior to coaching at Bates, McCollum served as head coach at Hamilton (Ohio) High School and SUNY Fredonia, and assistant swimming coach at Norwich University and the College of William & Mary.
“Mike has a passion for swimming,” said Mulholland. “He is an excellent technical coach, a good judge of talent and character, and he will be a great recruiter. I believe that Mike’s philosophies are very similar to my own, and while the program will definitely have his stamp on it, he will also continue to promote the Bates philosophy, which champions excellence in the classroom and in the pool.”
Mike Bartley will return for his 15th season as diving coach at Bates.