Tyrrell’s last 14 years coaching gave him plenty of recruiting knowledge, but he also drew from his own experience as a recruited collegiate swimmer. In 1988, Tyrrell joined the Lafayette College swim team, where he led his team to a second place finish in the ECAC and was a two-time captain.
“I went in freshman year as one of their top swimmers, and the coach there did a really good job recruiting,” Tyrrell said. “By the time I left, I was one of the guys who was not counted on to score points all the time.”
At Harvard, Tyrrell approached each recruit with the same thought process he had when deciding on where to attend school himself: finding the right fit between athletics and academics.
“I make sure there is a really good fit between what they are looking for academically and athletically,” Tyrrell said. “On the academic side, guys have to want to come here and be challenged in the classroom. That was my process, and I thought I could be really challenged at Lafayette, as I was.”
One of Tyrrell’s recruits was Oliver Lee, who is now a co-captain of the team and holds the Harvard record in the 50 meter free. The senior is also a member of four school record-holding relay teams.
“I spoke with him the summer before senior year of high school,” Lee said. “He was definitely a big factor in my coming to Harvard. He is a great recruiter; it’s one of his strengths, and he has gotten us faster and faster guys every year.”
Tyrrell’s efforts helped the program bring in three Top-20 classes over the past three years. Since 2009, Tyrrell’s recruits have helped Harvard set 12 school records, win eight Ivy League championships, and go 31-4 in dual meets.
When Tyrrell was promoted to head coach this summer, he finally got the opportunity to coach those very swimmers he had brought to Cambridge.
“We were happy that he was going to be our head coach because he knew the program and all the guys on the team, so it wasn’t a drastic shift in coaching staff,” Lee said. “There was a seamless transition."
Though Tyrrell was more than a familiar face around the locker room, he has changed up the coaching style. Tyrrell has altered the way practice is run, having his team swim fewer miles at a faster pace and picking up the overall tempo of the racers.
“He has a different take on the sport,” Lee said. “He focuses on the motional part and the fundamental technicalities that make swimmers fast. He has a very planned out program that has been working very well so far. There is a lot more quality work than quantity work. “
Despite his success, Tyrrell’s future with the program still remains somewhat uncertain with just a one-year contract. But that hasn’t deterred Tyrell at all. With the Crimson undefeated in dual meets this season, Tyrrell isn’t even thing about his future. Instead, the coach is only thinking about future of his swimmers, making sure it’s a bright one both in the pool and the classroom. Tyrrell says he has the same mindset for coaching whether he is here for another month, year, or decade.
“I have to push these guys and try to develop them and make them better human beings, so they can go on and do awesome things in there lives,” Tyrrell said. “I don’t feel any added pressure. I come in, and I work hard and try to do the best job that I can.”
—Staff writer Andrew Farber can be reached at andrewfarber@college.harvard.edu.