Towson University has named a new acting head coach for its swimming & diving programs, with no word on the statuses of the team’s other coaches as an investigation continues into a cell phone found in the women’s locker room.
Assistant coach Jake Shrum is now the new acting head coach of swimming and the school has hired Tim Perkins as its temporary diving coach, per a statement from Towson this week.
Towson did not comment on head coach Pat Mead, diving coach Maureen Mead or assistant coach Adrienne Phillips, who are still listed on the roster.
The school is continuing to investigate a cell phone that was found in the women’s locker room last month. The school said the phone “may have” recorded the swimmers from inside the locker room, and a parent of a team member told the Baltimore Sun that the athlete viewed an 8-minute recording on the phone when it was found.
The Sun reports that some of the team’s swimmers were planning to boycott this weekend’s Pitt Invite. The school announced in its statement that the team would not compete at the meet, taking the weekend to “refocus, recover and regroup” instead.
The full Towson statement:
Today Towson University Director of Athletics Tim Leonard named Jake Shrum as the Acting Head Coach of Swimming and Tim Perkins was recently hired as the temporary Diving Coach. “Jake has already demonstrated tremendous leadership under the present circumstances and we are confident in his ability to continue to provide stability for the team,” Leonard said.
We continue to move toward the conclusion of the investigation as swiftly as possible. Both Interim President Timothy Chandler and AD Leonard understand the frustration expressed by some members of team with the timeline, however we must follow due process to ensure the correct actions are taken. It is imperative that we are working with information that is accurate, complete, and verified in order to make these difficult decisions.
In consultation with the coach and the team, Towson Swimming and Diving will not participate in the Pittsburgh Invite this weekend in order to refocus, recover, and regroup and to prepare to restart the competition schedule in January.
University and Athletics staff will continue to hold our regular meetings with team members, as we have over the past month, both to hear concerns and to keep the team informed as more information becomes available.
