Daniel Murray, the head coach of the Delta Aquatic Club, will be named as the new head coach for men’s and women’s swimming and diving at Delta State University, although the official announcement has not been made.
Murray, who formerly head up the local USA-Swimming Club, was a natural fit for the position, as he was already located in Cleveland (Mississippi), making the transition easier. He is also very familiar with the Delta State program and athletes, because many of them serve as his assistants on the club team.
Murray is very popular amongst the Delta State swimmers, and despite the process taking longer than most had hoped-students report to campus in about 2 weeks-it sounds like most were satisfied with the ultimate decision.
He will be replacing Brian Hein, who led Delta State for 5 seasons, and was twice named NSISC Women’s Coach of the Year.
Delta State is a strong Division II program, with both programs consistently placing in the top 20 at Division II Nationals.
Murray will inherit programs loaded with bright young talent, especially Adam Dajka. Last year, as a freshman, Dajka finaled in 3 individual events at NCAA’s, including the 1000, where he took 5th, the 500, where he was 16th, and the 200 free, where he was 4th. In the 200 and 1000, he was the highest ranked freshman in the nation.
Program has gone down-hill since Murray has taken over