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With the hiring of new coaches as part of the athletic departments three phase plan to provide full-time coaches to all sports, new swimming Head Coach Mary Bolich has received the most vocal opposition by her athletes.

In a Sept. 26 Wespeak, swimmer Dave Andrews ’02 asserted that the Athletic Department hired new Head Coach Mary Bolich despite student opposition. According to Andrews, the four upperclassmen swimmers chosen for the coach-selection committee felt their comments and concerns "were lost to unresponsive ears" and that they were "baited" into agreeing with the Athletic Department’s choice of a prospective coach.

According to Athletic Director John Biddiscombe, Andrews’ dissatisfaction is the result of his not knowing all of the facts. 

"We made it clear to the students that their function was to advise and recommend," Biddiscombe said. "We let them know right off the bat that their vote would not carry as much weight as a faculty vote."

Committee members claimed that their role was never clearly defined. When Coach Bolich was chosen over the coach they recommended, they were left with a bitter taste in their mouths.

A student who wished to remain anonymous said the committee was not told how the process was going to unfold until it was already underway.

"It seemed like the Athletic Department knew who they wanted to hire all along," the student commented. "We were there just so they could claim ‘student involvement.’ I feel that this was all a big waste of my time."

Student-athletes are involved in the hiring process of all new coaches. Selected by the team’s graduating captains, the student advisors are only active in the final stage of the selection process. Over the past off-season, committees searched for new coaches for swimming, cross-country, softball, women’s lacrosse and women’s soccer. 

The earlier stages develop over a course of months, during which Biddiscombe and other members of the Athletic Department search for qualified candidates.

Whenever a coaching position opens, the Athletic Department advertises the opening on a national level. Nearly a year ago, the department posted bulletins on web-sites dedicated to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) news and collegiate swimming coaches. Any coach looking for a job could scout these sites and wait for news of available positions.

According to Biddiscombe, the Athletic Department received 77 applications. 

"Coaching at a school like Wesleyan is recognized as a good job," Biddiscombe said. "We had a very large pool of extremely qualified candidates, which made the selection process difficult."

A six-person faculty committee was immediately formed consisting of Biddiscombe, three athletic faculty members, and two administrative faculty members. At the same time, the swim team’s graduating captains were asked to select two male and two female committee members who would serve on the committee at a later point.

The faculty committee narrowed the 77 applicants to 25 based on experience and career success. The committee then screened the remaining prospects by contacting people affiliated with the coach, as well as conducting brief telephone-interviews. After this arduous step, the pool was reduced to nine.

At this point, the four students on the committee were called to serve. 

"The students offer us a perspective into the coach’s ability to relate with people their age, and Wesleyan students in particular," Biddiscombe stated. "We don’t ask them to vote, but rather to enter into a dialogue with the candidate. We want the candidate to get as much a feel for the students as the students for the candidate."

The team is split over support for Coach Bolich. Some swimmers said they felt her Division I coaching experience will be a great asset to the program and that Andrews’ comments do not by any means represent a team consensus. 

Others insist that she will not be able to adjust to coaching at a lower level. Some swimmers have even quit the team over the issue.

"I’m real annoyed about this whole thing," said former swimmer Chuck Duffney ’01. "I don’t think we need a coach yelling at us and making us swim two practices a day. I’m sure the committee members felt this, too."

Biddiscombe said he believes that students and the Athletic Department have the same priorities in hiring a new coach.

"The students want someone who is competent, motivational and will give them an opportunity to succeed," he stated. "They are looking for someone to give them a meaningful experience, and so are we. We believe Coach Bolich was the best candidate to do this."

Nonetheless, there was some disagreement in the hiring of Coach Bolich. The resulting dissatis-faction, voiced by Andrews, has led to a prickly situation in the Wesleyan pool.

"Coach Bolich has been put in a bad situation and some swimmers are having a difficult time with the transition," Andrews commented. "By the Administration’s failure to communicate what they expected of the students, both the team and the coach are in a tough situation."

Coach Bolich declined to comment.

Mike Tracy ’01 and Mike Fox-Boyd ’01, cross country captains and committee members for the search which ultimately led to the hiring of Head Coach John Crooke, had a much more positive experience in the hiring process of their new coach.

"We were given ample time to give both positive and negative comments on all of the final candidates," Tracy said. "The faculty committee certainly listened and considered our comments and recommendations."