Indiana University assistant swim coach Mark Hill will leave the program after one season. His name has been removed from the school’s public roster, and Hill confirmed the news to SwimSwam on Friday. While he wasn’t prepared to discuss where he’s going next, but he did say that he’s “really excited for the future” and “grateful to IU for the opportunities” while he was there.
Hill came to Indiana last summer from the Old Dominion Aquatic Club, where he was the head age group coach for 1 year. Before that, he coached with Big Ten rivals Michigan as a volunteer from 2009-2012 and as a full-time assistant from 2012-2016.
Indiana has already had a hectic offseason; besides Hill leaving, they’ve had at least 3 transfers out of the program and at least 1 transfer in – Bailey Andison, from Denver.
Complete Coaching Resume
- Indiana – 2017-2018, assistant coach
- ODAC/Flow Swimming – 2016-2017, head age group coach
- Michigan – 2009-2016, volunteer assistant/assistant
- Club Wolverine – 2009-2016, assistant coach
- Trinidad & Tobago – 2013, assistant coach on Worlds Team
- Trinidad & Tobago – 2012, Olympic coach
- The Race Club – 2007-2008, assistant coach
- Washington College – 2005-2007, assistant coach
Cal assistant coach
PoolPool disgruntled ex-IU swimmer or what? Lol
Appears there’s plenty of those both on and ex to go around!
I’m going to wait until an actual NCAA point contributor leaves before I start speculating about Indiana
Maybe that’s the problem, they only care about NCAA point scorers, which is not really a way to run a team.
I guess Hill realized that the grass wasn’t actually greener away from Michigan.
You can call it many different things. “Not caring” in one way of putting it. But the harsh reality of sports programs starting in middle school is that kids get cut for not being good enough. I don’t see any proof that Indiana is doing anything different than my junior high coach who cut me from the basketball team when I was 12.
Unfortunately when teams rapidly improve like Indiana there is going to be a flood of fast recruits and the slower kids from earlier classes are going to be casualties. I’m still not seeing anything close to wrong with what they are doing.
I agree with you that to have an elite team you sometimes have to cut some people, but what I assume is happening here (and I can do so with some certainty as I was recruited by Looze back in the day) is that recruits are being sold a bill of goods. They are told the coaching staff sees great potential in them and they can be an NCAA scorer even when the chances of that are slim. I almost went to Indiana based on that promise, but thankfully I chose another school for academic reasons because the rest of the class they brought in my year and the years after me would have made me a bench warmer. Could… Read more »
When a coach’s livelihood depends on the overall performance of the team at the biggest meets (NCAA’s), I beg to differ. NCAA point scorers are absolutely essential to any program of a coach looking to keep his/her job for any period of time.
Been biting my tongue on these comments all week now. I signed at Indiana as a 49.9 and 1:54.4 backstroker. It wasn’t a straight road and there were alot of ups and downs. My first two years at Indiana I scored 2 conference points TOTAL. Ray and Mike never gave up on me and swimming for IU made me the person I am today. I graduated as 45.8 and 1:41.2 backstroker and my last race placed 6th at WC trials.
There is two sides to every story no program is perfect and there are growing pains. Not everyone has what it takes and the rght mindset to swim for Ray and Mike. It was not easy, but committing to… Read more »
That was then…this is now! Stripping scholarships, berating kids during final week. 12 have stories the opposite of your. You don’t know, what you don’t know!
So much for the development of young adults, team and culture that the NCAA so proudly advertises.
Poolpool u r funny. Keep drinking that koolaid
Mark is an outstanding coach! I hope this move is to a head coaching position.
Time for this man to join the school that is a tier above every other Big Ten school: Northwestern
Maybe when they can put Bubolz, Alexandrov, and Grevers on a Medley Relay again.
With our sometime lanemate Lea there to coach them!
With any college program there is constant change. It’s possible that the comments here are more dramatic than the reality at Indiana. I find it hard to believe that the men could have faught thru such a great season if the team was in turmoil. Easy to speculate about all that is wrong, but there seem to be a lot of great swims coming from the IU swimmers and pros.
Interesting to see where he goes next.
Never seemed to have the outward vibrance he had at Michigan, with IU….
Going bk to Michigan????
Virginia Tech???
He was fired
I wonder what is going on there? Based on his social media, it looks like he was in Brazil with IU swimmers just 2 days ago. IU just had their best season in 40 years. Hate to hear speculation or first hand knowledge of drama in the off season.
Cant imagine sending someone ur firing to Brazil
Proof?
Strong words…staff in flux for years
What combined program has a staff that isn’t in constant flux? When you have 5 coaches (and many with vastly different salaries) there will always be movement.
Actually Mike Westphal has been the lead Assistant Coach for every year except for Ray Looze’s first year. I’d say that is some amazing consistency, considering the way Assistant Coaches move around all the time. I wouldn’t be surprised if Coley Stickels lands one of the major openings out there too. Bottom line, Ray Looze is the key driver for this program that was a complete mess when he got there. It took a major change of culture to get to this year’s results, but I expect them to be a force for the next several years.
Maybe Westphal is part of the problem
Westphal is why they are good
Coley is the reason why they are good, the evidence is clear, just look at the results of the women sprinters
Ali Rockett and his flyers were excellent, his 50free girl was a freshman 22.1. His post grads are the best in the country.
Not only that, but Westphal was an assistant for two years under Ray at Pacific before he went to IU. One of those years he was a volunteer. Westphal is a good coach. Unique personality that may rub some people the wrong way, but he’s a solid coach.
Wow careful…
No need to be careful. While RayRay may be the visionary, its no secret that he struggles to connect with the athletes. That’s where Mike is good.
Laughable
Did you just say mike is there to connect with people ? Hahahaha
This is laughable. Ray is the one that has focused on making lasting connections with his athletes whereas Mike just pretends they don’t exist. If you are not successful at IU or scoring/moving up, you are dead to Mike.
And chopped
Becky may know what she’s talking about. Don’t know if this is that same person, but there is a Rebecca Pany on the IU Athletics website that is an Assistant Athletic Director for Administration and Operations. http://iuhoosiers.com/staff.aspx?staff=11 Her bio says that she coordinates game and coach contracts for the department.
Doubtful… higher ups in an athletics department wouldn’t be negatively trolling a swimswam comment section. I think you’re reading a little far into that, chronicswimmer.