courtesy of Albion College Athletics
Albion College has announced the hiring of Eric Murray to lead the Albion College swimming and diving teams. Since 2017, Murray has been the associate head coach at Division II Grand Valley State University.
With Murray on staff, the Lakers have put together a record of 108-27, won 11 conference championships, and saw the team rank as high as fifth nationally on both the men’s and women’s sides. He saw 49 swimmers advance to the NCAA Championships, with five winning National titles.
“I am absolutely thrilled to add Eric to our department … He brings a wealth of experience from the top NCAA Division II athletic department in the nation,” said Jennifer Rushton, Director of Athletics. “He has a clear plan to elevate our swimming and diving program at Albion College. He will serve as a tremendous leader and role model for our men’s and women’s programs, and I have no question he will foster an environment where our student-athletes will thrive and develop holistically.”
At GVSU, he was the team’s recruiting coordinator, assisted with fundraising and many other facets of the program.
“I would like to thank Jennifer Rushton and President Webster for giving me this opportunity to be the next head swim and dive coach here at Albion,” said Murray. “Meeting them both I could tell they have a desire to bring Albion into its next era of success. I could see their passion and the future potential for this institution, and I couldn’t miss out on this opportunity – especially since Albion is where I started my collegiate swimming career.”
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
“First and foremost Eric is a great person who has a passion for coaching and teaching his athletes and for the sport of swimming and diving. He has sacrificed a lot to get to where he is, and he is going to be a real asset to Albion College athletics as well as the general community there. He will put his athlete’s welfare and development first and he will succeed in bringing every athlete in the program to their full potential. I am very excited for him and this great opportunity.” – Matthew Gianiodis, Former head coach at Michigan State.
“Eric is a passionate coach that truly cares about his student athletes. I’m sure he will do well at Albion.” – Andrew Boyce, Current head coach at GVSU.
“Albion has gained a great coach today with the hiring of Eric Murray. As a colleague of Coach Murray I see his caring and commitment to his athletes and his profession and wish him the best of luck!” – Heidi Vogt, Current head coach at Northern Michigan.
“We are excited about this opportunity for Eric to become a head coach. He has been a valued member of our coaching staff and no doubt impacted the lives of our swimmers in a positive way during his time here at GVSU. We wish him nothing but the highest level of success at Albion!” – Keri Becker, Athletic Director at GVSU.
Murray’s tenure with the Britons begins on Sep. 3.
