2019 NCAA Offseason Coaching Carousel: UCLA, West Point Headline Remaining Gigs

The NCAA hiring season has been in full swing since before last season even ended and wasn’t showing signs of slowing down until recently; every time it looked like positions were being filled fasters than they could open, another vacancy would pop up.

Within about two weeks of the conclusion of the 2018-2019  season, there were well over 10 Division I head coaching positions available. Hires began to trickle in slowly at the beginning of May, picking up with the big-time gigs by the end of the month, and now – almost three months removed from the end of the season – there are only a few spots remaining.

Below, we’ve laid out the current state of major Division I openings. For head coaches, there are now eight vacancies remaining, headlined by the UCLA spot.

HEAD COACHES

• The carousel began turning with the resignation of Cleveland State head coach Paul Graham a week before the Horizon League Championships.
  • Former University of Houston assistant Hannah Burandt was named head coach in late May.
• Southern Illinois head coach Rick Walker retired after 32 years at the helm of the Salukis’ program. His decision was announced in early February, though he finished out the season.
  • Division II Colorado Mesa head coach Geoff Hanson was hired at Southern Illinois in May.
• Saint Francis University coach Kyle Almoney resigned on February 20th.
• In late February, Youngstown State head coach Ryan Purdy stepped down after he and the school couldn’t agree to terms on a contract for him to take over the newly-announced men’s program, in addition to his existing duties with the women’s team.
  • Former Binghamton University head coach Brad Smith was announced as the new Youngstown coach in late April.
• With Smith’s move, the head coach job at Binghamton is now open.
• Colgate coach Andy Waeger resigned from his position at Colgate after the team’s conference championship meet. He was there for 5 seasons.
  • Colgate announced Villanova assistant Edward Pretre (also the former head coach at Truman State) as its new head coach Monday afternoon.
• UNC head coach Rich DeSelm announced his resignation on March 4th, after a cancer diagnosis.
  • Olympian Mark Gangloff was announced as the new hire Thursday. 
• Evansville parted ways with head coach Brent Noble in mid-March after just 1 season.
  • Evansville hired Nitro Swimming’s Stu Wilson as head coach last week.
• Matt Bos resigned as the head coach at IUPUI in late March after his wife took a big job in Minnesota.
  • Damion Dennis was named head coach in early June.
• Chris Ip was announced as ‘out’ at Brown, without explanation, in late March.
  • Brown announced Kevin Norman as its new hire. 
• On April 1st, C. Robb Orr announced his retirement after 40 years at the helm of the Princeton men.
  • William & Mary’s Matt Crispino was announced as the new head coach Thursday.
• William & Mary is now in the market for a new head coach.
• Alabama head coach Dennis Pursley announced his retirement on April 10th.
  • Indiana University associate head sprint coach Coley Stickels got the Alabama job last week.
• Gardner-Webb, where Scott Teeters spent just 1 season as the head coach, is again looking to fill the position.
  • Former assistant Mike Blum will return to Gardner-Webb to take over the program.
• Illinois State head coach Scott Cameron resigned in April after four seasons to pursue other opportunities.
  • ISU named Indiana University assistant Caitlin Hamilton is new head coach May 13.
• Stanford men’s head coach Ted Knapp stepped down in April after 35 years with the program.
  • Hawai’i’s Dan Schemmel was announced as the new head coach Tuesday.
• With Schemmel’s departure after three years, the University of Hawaii is now in the market for a new head coach.
  • Hawaii promoted assistant Elliot Ptasnick to head coach in late May.
• Old Dominion’s Carol Withus resigned after 26 seasons in early May.
• UCLA’s Cyndi Gallagher is retiring after 31 years as head coach of the program, which has been women-only since 1994.
• West Point head coach of 13 years Mickey Wender is leaving the program.
• University of the Pacific’s head coach Peter Richardson will join the University of Arizona staff.
• SMU men’s coach Eddie Sinnott stepped down after 30 years with the program.
• To recap, the remaining open positions are: Saint Francis, Binghamton, William & Mary, Old Dominion, UCLA (women), West Point, University of the Pacific, SMU (men).

ASSISTANT COACHES

• The University of Arizona parted ways with assistants Cory Chitwood and Beth Botsford last month.
  • Arizona is expected to hire University of the Pacific’s Peter Richard as associate head coach.
• IU is also seeking three new assistants with the departure of both Stickels, assistant sprint coach Kirk Grand last month, and assistant Caitlin Hamilton, who got the Illinois job.
  • Veteran Jonty Skinner will fill an assistant sprint coach role at IU.
  • Chitwood will also be joining the IU staff.
  • Mizzou’s Emily Eaton rounded out the staff in early June.
• The Cal women’s team is without an assistant as Sarah Dunleavy is leaving the sport to pursue other interests.
  • Former MIT men’s and women’s head coach Dani Korman will take over for Dunleavy.
• Tennessee assistant Christian Hanselmann announced in early April he is heading back to club swimming.
  • Head coach Matt Kredich added former Virginia Tech assistant Josh Huger to his staff.