Cal Associate Head Coach David Marsh Stepping Away from Program
Cal associate head swimming coach David Marsh said after the conclusion of NCAAs that he is taking a step back from the program.
Marsh said he’ll continue to consult with Cal head coach Dave Durden and return for two-week segments to work with swimmers. But Marsh has been with the Golden Bears program in an intensive role since February 2022, when he stepped in during then-assistant coach Chase Kreitler’s paternity leave in what was supposed to be a short-term consultancy. That got extended step-wise through the Paris Olympics, and he’ll be stepping away from such a full-time role.
“I’m grateful for the time and lessons,” Marsh said in a statement to Swimming World confirming his departure. “… I’m excited about the trajectory of the program on the women’s side and the way things will reset quickly after the huge fifth-year class last year on the men’s side.”
He said he will pursue other opportunities, including more freedom to coach on the East Coast and conduct swimming clinics and camps. “I feel like my knowledge and passion is as high as it’s ever been,” Marsh said.
Marsh’s coaching consultancy includes work with Israeli swimmers in the United States, which he will continue, while also pursuing other avenues. It isn’t a retirement for Marsh, a 2021 inductee to the International Swimming Hall of Fame who was the U.S. Olympic women’s team’s head coach in 2016 and a three-time assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic men’s team.
Marsh was the head coach at Auburn from 1990-2007, leading the Tigers to seven men’s NCAA Championships and five women’s titles. He is a 17-time SEC champion. After his success at Auburn, Marsh coached at UC San Diego from 2017-19. He is the founder and director of Team Elite Aquatics.
His work with Cal, the alma mater of his wife Kristin, came on both the men’s and women’s side. The California men finished seventh at NCAAs on Saturday, snapping a streak of 15 consecutive top-two finishes at NCAAs. Marsh was instrumental in working with Cal’s Yamato Okadome, who won both breaststroke titles at NCAAs. The Cal women finished fourth at NCAAs this year.
