Western’s swimming and diving team has a lot on its mind as the Oct. 24 Sun Belt Conference Challenge swim meet draws near. However, one thing it didn’t need was the surprise resignation of diving coach Charlie Law.

Law resigned last week in order to pursue a full-time position as an age-group diving coach in Denver.

Law, who has recently married, needed to take the position because he could not support his family on a part-time position at Western.

Coach Bill Powell and assistant Bruce Marchionda were given only a week’s notice to find a replacement.

Powell said the resignation came as a shocker, but they didn’t have time to let it set in. They began the search immediately and narrowed it to three candidates within a few days.

After several phone interviews and a recommendation from Marchionda’s former diving coach from Clemson, Leslie Hasselbach, they chose Bruce Benson.

Hasselbach had worked with Benson in several diving shows, and when she found out Western needed a diving coach, she told Marchionda that she recommended Benson for the job.

“I respect her recommendation highly,” Marchionda said. “I feel very fortunate to have him. We are excited.”

Benson, a former diver from Villanova, has been coaching age-group diving shows in a lot of major theme parks throughout the country. Benson will start coaching at Western Oct. 12.

“Getting someone right in the middle of the semester is tough,” Powell said. “We were really fortunate to get him.”

Reach Wes Watt at [email protected].