The Truman Athletics Department has named Mark Gole as the new Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach. Gole replaces Colleen Murphy, who resigned in June to become a High School Athletics Director in Arizona.

Gole will lead a Truman State University team that has won five straight NCAA titles on the women’s side and has been in the top 16 the last five seasons, including a tenth place showing last season on the men’s side.

Gole is familiar with success at the national level, winning three straight Division II national titles as a member of the Oakland University swim team from 1995-97. He was apart of three national champion relay squads and is a 16-time all-American honoree. In 1998, his Oakland team was in the first year of a transition to Division I status. As a sophomore in 1996, Gole was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference swimmer of the year.

“I am extremely excited to join the Truman swimming program and look to continue to keep the women’s program on top and help the men’s program achieve that same national success,” said Gole.

Gole has been the assistant coach at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan since 2000. The men’s program at the Division II school, had its highest national finish ever this past year with an eighth place showing and claimed the 2003 and 2004 GLIAC titles. The women’s program finished 22nd at the national meet and achieved their highest showing in the GLIAC with a third place finish. Also during his tenure at Wayne State, the swimming teams broke 35 of the 38 school records.

Director of Athletics Jerry Wollmering is pleased to have Mark join the Truman coaching staff.

“As a student-athlete and coach, Mark has experienced the same level of success that Truman swimming has become accustomed to and I am confident he will be able to continue that success as a head coach”

“His enthusiasm and passion for the sport of swimming was obvious in his visit to campus and I know he will pass that on to current and future Bulldog swimmers,” said Wollmering.

As well as being the assistant coach for Wayne State, Gole is the Head Senior Assistant Coach for the Oakland Live Y’ers Swim Team and head coach and pool manager for the Forest Lake Country Club. The Live Y’ers have won numerous regional titles and had an Olympic gold medalist in the program.

Gole is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan.