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Bloomsburg, PA , June 6th, 2008

Bloomsburg University athletic director Mary Gardner has announced the hiring of Stu Marvin '78 as the head coach for the men's and women's swim teams.

Marvin was involved in coaching with the former Fort Lauderdale swim team from 1988-2004 and presently works with Fort Lauderdale Aquatics, both based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has been an administrator, coach and speaker for the College Swimming Coaches Association of America during their annual Swim Forum for 18 years. Marvin worked for the City of Fort Lauderdale's Parks & Recreation Department from 1980 to 2004 and directed its Aquatics program. He managed a budget of over $3 million and coordinated operation of the International Swimming Hall of Fame Complex, Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue and the Fort Lauderdale Community Pool system. He also coached the Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue Competition team for several years.

"It has long been a dream of mine to return to Bloomsburg and give back to the university what it unselfishly gave me during my swimming career," said Marvin. "At this point in my life my passion for swimming has never been deeper and my loyalty to the university has never been stronger. I hope to attract great young talent to the program by relying on my personal relationships with countless USA Swimming, YMCA, and high school coaches from around the country."

"My family and I are really excited about having a chance to live in a community like Bloomsburg," Marvin added. "I have very fond memories of my time spent there."

As for his goals as head coach, Marvin has several he will work towards.

"I hope to boost the confidence in each athlete and work towards improving our position in the conference and returning the program to national prominence," Marvin continued.

"I also hope to lead by example and challenge the team to swim faster by continuing to compete myself. At the Masters National Championships in May, I posted times in the 50 and 100 free that would currently rank in the Top Ten all-time at Bloomsburg. I think the team will be inspired to see their 52-year old coach perform at such a high level and in turn would work harder to achieve their goals."

Athletic director Mary Gardner is also excited to have Marvin return to Bloomsburg.

"Having Stu back 'on the deck' at Bloomsburg will be an exciting time," said Gardner. "He brings a wealth of swimming experience and passion to the position. His connection with alumni and the national swimming community will be a welcomed addition to the university. I believe both the men's and women's teams will rise to prominence within the PSAC under his direction."

As a swimmer at Bloomsburg Marvin was an 11-time All-American performer in addition to winning five Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles. He became the university's first triple All-American award winner in 1975 and equaled that effort in 1977. In 1978, Marvin finished among the top performers in five races to gain All-American recognition in each race. He was a two-time winner of the school's Underclassman Athlete of the Year award and was also awarded the Robert B. Redman Award as the school's top male senior athlete in 1978. He was the first swimmer inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990. Marvin still holds the school record in the 100-free and has established 12 United States Masters Swimming (USMS) records as well as winning 28 national USMS championships.

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