On Tuesday, the University of Virginia confirmed to SwimSwam that Associate Head Coach Jake Shrum would be leaving the program after the women picked up their 6th straight NCAA title and the men earned their highest team finish since 2021.
Shrum swam collegiately at the University of Virginia until his graduation with a degree in computer science in 2008. Following his graduation, he started coaching with Fairview Swim Club in Charlottesville and became the head coach at Albemarle High School.
In 2013, he fully shifted his career focus and served as a volunteer assistant coach at Virginia until 2015 when he was hired as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s programs at Towson University.
Just a few months into the season, he was named acting head coach following the suspension and eventual firing of former head coach Pat Mead and his wife, diving coach Maureen Mead, after a cell phone was found recording inside the women’s locker room.
Shrum was later given the role of full head coach and he remained at Towson through the 2022 season, coaching eventual NCAA runner-up Brian Benzing during his first two years of college.
In 2022, he took an assistant coach role at Virginia, and in 2024, he was promoted to Associate Head Coach. He was one of two Associate Heads Coaches of the program with Gary Taylor as the other. Tyler Fenwick is the Senior Associate Head Coach.
Shrum has been a member of a few USA Swimming coaching rosters, first in 2024 when he was an assistant coach at the 2024 SC World Championships in Budapest. In the summer of 2025, he was named an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2025 World University Games.
There are currently multiple associate head coach positions available in Division I along with a head women’s coach position at the University of Minnesota.
Hope the guy gets a good paying job with better hours.
Dude could be the twin brother of Hamish from Braveheart.
This would be a great position for rising associate head coach Austin Pillado. He’s had great success with the sprint group at WSU
I love how any comments about Pillado sound like he’s writing them personally
Austin has too big of a personality to be on that staff. His best bet is to get a head coach job at a mid major
During his time at Towson he also coached the men’s team to their first conference title since 1983 and developed Jack Saunderson into an NCAA All-American. Really led the team out of an extremely low point.
I had the pleasure of working with Jake at Short Course Worlds, and I just know from our brief time working together, that wherever he lands will score big time!
Next head coach at The University of Cincinnati?
Nah pretty sure that’s Tony Bruno from Towson
Big if true
Texas bound?
Fair guess, but seems that would be a lateral move at best unless Texas is just throwing $$$ around.
No problem there
Same person who said David Johnston swims relays btw ^^^
Randomly follows it on instagram. definitely gonna be Texas
well there is an opening, so good guess