Texas A&M Director of Athletics Bill Byrne has taken another strike at swimming. Following the elimination of the men's and women's swimming programs at Oregon and the men's program at Nebraska, Byrne has uprooted longtime Aggie men's coach Mel Nash.

“I want to thank Coach Nelson and Coach Nash for their many years of dedicated service to our student-athletes and Texas A&M University,” Byrne said. “They have represented our department and University with class and integrity.”

A statement released by the university stated that Byrne and Nash came to a mutually agreed upon decision for Nash’s resignation. Nash, who finished his 25th season in 2004, was A&M’s longest tenured head coach. During his 25 seasons, Nash guided the Aggies to 11 top 25 national finishes, including nine straight.

“I regretfully step down as the swim coach at Texas A&M,” Nash said. “I am proud of what our team has accomplished such as finishing in the top 20 six of the last seven years. I am proud of my players’ performance in the classroom.”

Nash also expressed pleasure that his long-time assistant Jay Holmes will be considered when the nation-wide search gets underway. Holmes will serve as interim swim coach.

“The mission of Texas A&M athletics is Building Champions,” Byrne said. “Our goal will be to hire new head coaches in track and field and men’s swimming who can lead us to Big 12 and even National Championships.”