Player Bio: John Morrison - NAVY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

John Morrison

	Position: Head Coach (5th Year)
	Alma Mater: North Carolina '90

John Morrison, the 2007 and `08 Patriot League coach of the year, enters his fifth season as the head coach for the Navy women's swimming program, as well as his ninth year at the Naval Academy.

The Mids have posted a 24-3 regular season record over the past two years, as well as a 40-13 overall record under Morrison. The 2007-08 edition of the program tied school records for the most wins and highest winning percentage tallied in a season with an overall record of 13-1 and a winning percentage of 92.9%.

During the postseason under Morrison, Navy won the 2007 Patriot League crown, placed second in the league in both 2005 and `08 and finished in third place in 2006. Individually in Morrison's four seasons on The Yard, Navy swimmers have totaled a league-best 21 individual event and 10 relay event titles at the Patriot League Championship. Additionally, Navy athletes have garnered at least a share of the league swimmer-of-the-year accolade in three of Morrison's four campaigns.

The program also has made strides at national events during Morrison's brief stint. A contingent of Navy swimmers are regular participants in U.S. Swimming meets such as the Spring Championship, ConocoPhillips National Championship and the World Championship Trials. The 2008 season saw current junior Thuy-Mi Dinh become the first women's swimmer in Patriot League history to attain an `A' cut qualifying time for the NCAA Championship, with Dinh and classmate Mallory Dietrich also competing at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.

In addition to the team's success in the water, the program under Morrison has annually been recognized as an Academic All-America Team by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America and has accounted for 29 placings on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll over the last four seasons.

"We want our swimmers and divers to attain success both in the pool and in the classroom," said Morrison. "Continuing to have success during our regular season, at the Patriot League Championship and striving to be competitive at the NCAA Championship will always be key foundations of our program, as is having both individuals and the team garner academic recognition. But we as coaches are here to do more than that.

"Developing a person away from the pool and fostering a sense of family within the team are also very important to us. The U.S. Naval Academy is known for producing great leaders, and we want the women's swimming and diving program to reflect that, as well.

"Additionally, being a member of our program should be a fun and enjoyable experience. We want the relationships and memories developed as a member of our team to last a lifetime."

Morrison's hiring in 2004 returned him to The Yard where he served as an assistant coach to Dick Purdy for four seasons beginning in the fall of 1993. The Purdy-Morrison duo coached the Mids to a 33-14 record and to Patriot League titles during each of their four years together.

After leaving Navy following the 1996-97 school year, Morrison served as a volunteer assistant men's coach at Tennessee during the 1997-98 season in which the Volunteers placed fourth at the NCAA Championship, followed by one year as an assistant at Rutgers. After serving as the head coach and aquatics director at the Ocean County YMCA in his hometown of Toms River, N.J., for two years starting in 1999, he was named as the head swimming coach at Lehigh in 2001.

Morrison coached the Mountain Hawks to a combined 31-27 record during his three seasons in Bethlehem, a period highlighted by the men's team winning the 2002 Patriot League title.

A successful athlete in his own right, Morrison earned four letters in swimming and in golf while a student-athlete at Toms River High School and was selected as a member of the school's inaugural Hall of Fame class in the spring of 2004. He would go on to earn four letters in swimming at North Carolina, helping the Tar Heels win a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference titles in the process.

Morrison would enter the coaching ranks in 1991 as an assistant swimming coach at Washington & Lee where he helped coach four NCAA Division III All-Americans. He also assisted with the school's 1992 water polo team that won the Division III Eastern Championship and served as the interim golf coach.

Morrison and his wife, Amy, have a nine-year old son, John, and a five-year-old daughter, Avery Grace.