BU swimming and diving head coach Bill Smyth with Anastasia Belyakov (CAS’24) at a recent meet. On February 21, he announced plans to retire after 18 years helming the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs.  Photo by Kyle Prudhomme

Patriot League

BU Swimming and Diving Coach Bill Smyth Announces Retirement

During 18-year tenure, men’s and women’s programs earned four conference titles

After 18 years at Boston University, swimming and diving coach Bill Smyth is hanging up his whistle. 

On February 21, Smyth announced his plans to step down as head coach of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. During his tenure, the programs earned 4 conference titles, and BU athletes claimed 127 individual conference titles, with 17 earning conference Swimmer or Diver of the Year honors.  

Under Smyth, every school record was broken at least once, including five last week at the 2023 Patriot League Championships. 

It is a bittersweet departure for Smyth. 

“This particular team has been through a lot,” Smyth says. “They’ve been through a COVID year, they’ve been through COVID recruiting. They’ve already seen one assistant coach go…I’m very sensitive to what they’re feeling right now, but at the same time, I’m confident that they’re going to do even greater things than they’ve done this year.”

“Bill has shaped BU swimming and diving into the program it is today,” says Sumi Cameron (Questrom’24). “He should pride himself on creating a welcoming team environment that supports all athletes in and out of the pool. While we’ll miss him dearly, we’ll continue to uphold the values and traditions he placed upon this team.”

Smyth notified Drew Marrochello, BU athletic director, of his plans to step down in January and informed his teams on Tuesday before the news was made public. 

“Bill proudly led our swimming and diving programs and his distinguished career is highlighted by the immense success his student-athletes achieved both in the pool and in the BU community,” Marrochello said in a press release. “He has always had the respect of his peers, and he was in the coaching profession for all the right reasons.”

Before joining BU, Smyth was a standout swimmer in his own right, a five-time All-America swimmer at the University of Virginia, winning six ACC individual titles and setting a school and conference record in the 400M IM. A finalist at the 1992 US Olympic trials, he was later an assistant coach for the Macedonian Olympic team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. 

He began collegiate coaching at his alma mater, as a Cavaliers assistant coach from 1997 to 2005, before then joining the Terriers. 

Under Smyth, BU won four America East conference championships. In dual-meets, his squads boasted a .678 win percentage, finishing all but two seasons with a winning record. Smyth credits the individuals he has coached alongside at BU. 

“It’s not really about me, it’s about how we’ve all come together to have a collective purpose and to achieve things together in the pool and away from the pool,” he says. “I might be the person that guides the orchestra, so to speak, but there’s a lot of pieces in it, including everybody’s undying commitment to improve themselves and the team.”

Smyth and his assistant coaches were named the America East Men’s Coaching Staff of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012. In 2008 they were also named the conference’s Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year. Smyth was recognized as the ECAC Coach of the year in 2013. 

As he prepares to retire, his athletes credit him with helping them develop not just as athletes, but as people. 

“Swimming under Coach Smyth these past three years has been one of the absolute pleasures of my life,” Toby Jackson (Questrom’24) says. “From taking a chance on me in high school to helping me become the swimmer and person I am today, I can’t thank him enough. He always knew exactly how to inspire us and what to say to get us fired up. I am obviously saddened by the news, but I wish him and his family the very best in his retirement, and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future.”

“I’ve tried to convey to the students that if they needed a practice off, all they had to ever do is talk to me,” Smyth says. “Whenever they needed time to achieve academically, I gave it to them. I am very proud of the 4.0s that we’ve had over the years, but I’m also just as proud of the people that have struggled with Cs or Ds and turned them into Bs and As—they’re just incredible human beings all the way around.”

For Smyth, the accolades he’s earned are inconsequential compared to the impact he had on his athletes’ lives. “To be able to help them as 18- or 19-year-old boys and girls become 22-year-old men and women has been my life’s privilege and honor,” he says. “I’m really going to miss them.” 

The Boston University swimming and diving teams competed at Smyth’s final Patriot League Championship, concluding on Saturday, February 18, at Bucknell. The women finished fourth in PL competition, while the men finished fifth for the third consecutive year. The search for a new head coach for the Terriers swimming and diving programs will begin as the teams enter the off-season.