HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Thundering Herd head swimming and diving coach Bill Tramel has resigned his position, Marshall Athletics announced Monday.
Under his leadership, Marshall set numerous program and individual marks, boasting an NCAA Championships participant for the first time in 12 years at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. Catherine Bendziewicz was also named the department’s 2017-18 female student-athlete of the year after earning Scholar All-America honors on the heels of winning back-to-back 200 Individual Medley honors at the Conference USA Championships.
“I want to thank everyone in the Marshall University Athletics family for their friendship and support during my time in Huntington,” Tramel said. “I specifically want to thank (Director of Athletics) Mike Hamrick and (Senior Woman Administrator) Beatrice Crane Banford for their support during this difficult time. I will always cheer for the Thundering Herd and that is part of what makes this the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make but it’s clear that my priorities need to be with my family right now. We are very proud of what we accomplished over the past six years. I will always be our student-athletes’ biggest fan and will treasure the memories that we’ve shared together.”
Marshall was also a mainstay in the national academic ranks. During his tenure, the program earned Scholar All-America team honors for 12 consecutive semesters and, last May, was recognized by the NCAA for having an outstanding Academic Progress Rate (APR) that ranked in the top 10 percent nationally. The program, which consistently ranked in the top 25 nationally for team GPA which included a fourth-place ranking in 2015-16 (3.68), stood alone among the league’s aquatic programs and was one of just 34 nationally to reach the standard.
“While the timing is unfortunate for our student-athletes, we respect and support the decision Bill has made to take care of his family,” said Hamrick. “Our swimming and diving program has been successful in recent years and we appreciate Bill’s leadership. We will work quickly to identify a new head coach who shares the same commitment to excellence.”
The Thundering Herd finished third at the Conference USA meet in each of the last three seasons, the highest finishes and point totals for the program since entering the league in 2005-06.
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