It was announced on Tuesday by Director of Athletics Jeff Martinez that Head Swimming & Diving Coach Trevor Harp has resigned from his position after 12 years of involvement with the program at the University of Redlands. Harp has decided to pursue an opportunity with Eleanor Roosevelt High School as a biology teacher and swim coach. His last day on campus will be August 3, 2015.
“This was a very difficult decision but I am confident that a new coach will bring the same Bulldog spirit and continue the great traditions of years prior while creating new and exciting traditions,” Harp stated. “This team is a great family. It will continue to grow and improve with the many great student-athletes who choose to swim and dive.”
Harp originally became a “Bulldog for Life” as a successful student-athlete at Redlands. He competed in the NCAA Division III Swimming Championships every year of his four-year career and led the Maroon and Gray to its seventh-consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship during his senior campaign. That year he was voted the SCIAC Swim & Dive Male Athlete of the Year and became an All-America Honorable Mention with his 10th-place finish in the 50 Free.
Harp also excelled in the classroom with numerous accolades and achievements, as highlighted by his selection for the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
Immediately following graduation, Harp moved into his first collegiate coaching role as the graduate assistant for Bulldog swimming under then-head coach Leslie Whittemore. He remained in that role for two years while completing his Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction. In 2010, Trevor accepted the head-coaching role, serving as the 13th head coach in the history of the Bulldog swimming & diving program.
Harp’s contributions and accomplishments in his relatively short career as head coach are outstanding and numerous. During his five seasons at the helm, neither of the teams ever finished lower than third place in the final SCIAC standings. He also coached numerous All-Americans and four different NCAA individual champions, including his own brother Tyler, as well as three-time NCAA Champion, Jeff Depew. The University of Redlands men’s program became well known nationally in 2012 when the small squad of only six qualified for the NCAA Championships and then went on to score enough points to finish fifth in the final team standings.
Outside of his many coaching successes, Harp considers the opportunity to coach both his brother Tyler and sister Summer during their own stellar collegiate careers among the highlights of his Bulldog tenure.
“We appreciate Trevor for his 12 years of commitment to the University of Redlands and the Bulldog student-athlete experience,” commented Martinez. “We wish him all the best in his future endeavors and know he is truly a ‘Bulldog for Life.'”
The process to name Harp’s successor is ongoing.
The above is a press release from University of Redlands on July 22, 2015. You can read the original press release here.
12 years!?!?!?!?!?
Maybe regretting the decision?