DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College recently announced the hiring of Tyler Dixon as the first head coach for its men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. Dixon will be charged with having the teams ready to compete for the upcoming 2011-2012 season.

“I am excited to have Tyler join our athletics staff,” Morrison stated. “He has a great attitude and is a proven winner. He is very passionate about swimming and I look forward to seeing him grow as a coach and grow our program.”

Dixon comes to Defiance College from Ball State University, where he was a four-year letterman on the swim team while earning a bachelor’s degree in sports administration in the spring of 2009 and a master’s degree in information communication sciences in the summer of 2010.

During his time with the Cardinals, Dixon excelled in the pool as well as in the classroom. The Jeffersonville, Ind., native was a two-time Mid-American Conference All-Academic selection and placed among the top 16 at the MAC Championships in 2007 and 2010.

Dixon envisions a similar level of success for future Yellow Jacket swimmers during his tenure with the Purple and Gold. “I am looking forward to this opportunity at Defiance College to build a team from the ground up. It is a unique and exciting challenge and my goal is to build these programs to start competing at a high level right away. There are some quality NCAA Division III teams in Ohio and I want to be able to compete and win against them.”

Along with his athletic and academic background, Dixon has garnered coaching experience working on the staffs of the Pacesetter Swim Team and the Jeffersonville Aquatic Club in Jeffersonville, Ind., as well as assisting with a swim camp at the University of Louisville.

During his time with the Jeffersonville Aquatic Club, Dixon served as the head club coach for three years and coached over 100 swimmers. Dixon conducted stroke and instructional clinics, while also offering private instructional lessons.

Morrison added, “It is rare that a coach gets to come in and start a program from scratch. Although I know it will be challenging, I have all the confidence in the world that Tyler will do a great job.”

Dixon also sees the pieces in place for a successful program at DC, “The backing from the administration at Defiance College to build this program to compete is something special,” Dixon added. “It is nice to know that Defiance College is in full support of myself and the new swimming and diving programs.”

The DC swimming and diving teams will compete in a full varsity schedule during the winter of 2011-2012 and will use the Defiance Area Y for practice and home competitions.

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