The University of Delaware has announced the hiring of Pablo Marmolejo as the new men’s & women’s head swimming and diving coach. Marmolejo was an assistant and the recruiting coordinator at Delaware from 2012-2015, before leaving to take over as the head coach and program director at the Delaware Swim Team.
“We are extremely excited about Pablo’s vision for our Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving program, as well as his ability to develop swimmers and divers and passion for recruiting,” Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Services Chrissi Rawak said. “He has an excellent network that will serve us well in attracting talented student-athletes to the University of Delaware.”
Among the swimmers that Marmolejo coached in his time with the Delaware Swim Team are Yale commit Olivia Paoletti (1:01.4 breaststroker), Virginia freshman Matthew Otto (4th at the ACC Championships in the 200 breast as a freshman), and Auburn sophomore David Crossland.
As an athlete, Marmolejo swam for the Mexican National Team and at West Virginia under newly-named Virginia Tech head coach Sergio Lopez. He was a two-time All-American in 2006 and 2007, finishing 13th and 16th in the 200 fly in those years at NCAAs, respectively. He was also a 3-time Big East Conference Champion in the 200 fly, and a former Mexican National Record holder in the same event. He represented Mexico at the World Championships, Pan American Games, and World University Games.
He would then serve as a graduate assistant at his alma mater from 2009-2011 before moving to Delaware. At just 33-years old, Marmelejo becomes one of the youngest Division I head coaches in the country.
Marmolejo’s appointment comes after John Haymans “stepped away” as head coach at the end of last season to return to the academic side of the university. Both teams finished in last place at last year’s CAA conference championship meet, with the women taking 7th place (147 points behind 6th-place UNC Wilmington), and the men taking 5th place (176 points behind 4th-place UNC Wilmington).
“Orange marmalade on buttered toast” – my thought bubble every time. Mmmm
Chrissi Rawak. GA swimmer.
And former U of Michigan swimmer and assistant AD
Yea Pablo!!! Viva la Swimiequo!!!
Congrats to Pablo and UD. Haymans just stopped trying hard, and that sort of apathy creates bad teams that can get swim programs easily eliminated these days. So it’s great to see UD swimming reinvigorated.
I am very proud of Pablo for the way he works to help the kids. He is one of the good ones who truly cares about every kid and sees himself as an educator. Pablo has worked very hard to learn the trade and develop the skill set to lead a division 1 program. He is also, to be the best of my knowledge, the first Mexican to become head coach of a division 1 program. He will take good care of all the swimmers and divers that chose to study at Delaware. Congratulations, Pablo!
Matt Otto is an elite athlete who certainly is not terrified of bread and dairy products