Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Valparaiso University Director of Athletics Bill Steinbrecher has announced that Bryan Morrison has been named the new swimming and diving coach for the Crusaders. He will also serve Valpo as an assistant professor in physical education.

Morrison is currently the assistant swim coach for both the Sun Devil Masters and the Sun Devil Aquatics in Tempe, Ariz., where he has been working on his doctorate in biomechanics at Arizona State University.

While working on his doctorate, Morrison has been a part of two grants. The first dealt with age effects on the stroke rate-stroke length relationship in sprint freestyle and the other was a comparison of body density and center of buoyancy in competitive swimmers wearing conventional and full-body swimsuits.

?The competitive, educational and coaching backgrounds of Bryan all lead me to conclude that Valparaiso University has found a good fit for its next swimming coach," Steinbrecher said of Morrison.

Morrison also served as a volunteer assistant coach at Arizona State in 2000. He received his master's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Southern California. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1997 with a bachelor's in biomedical engineering as well.

?I am happy I've been given the opportunity to join this program," Morrison said. ?I am excited about the potential I see with the program both now and in the future."

Morrison will join the Valpo staff in August.

Nathan Mundt, who had been serving as the interm head coach for the past season, will remain with the team as the graduate assistant coach.