The coaching carousel continues to spin at UNC Wilmington.

Thirty seven years after he started the Swim and Dive program at UNCW, head coach Dave Allen has announced his retirement. The announcement comes shortly after the men’s swim team won an unprecedented 13th straight CAA championship.

Since he founded the team in 1977, Allen has been the face of UNCW’s most successful and overlooked athletic program.

“I certainly never thought, at the time, that I’d be here this long,” Allen said in a press conference. “But Wilmington is a place that, once you spend a little time here, you fall in love with it. You certainly fall in love with the university and the people in it, and that was the case with me. I grew some very deep and strong roots here.”

It has been a tumultuous year for UNCW’s swim and dive program. In May 2013, the university released the Intercollegiate Athletics Review Committee’s report regarding the current status of the athletic budget.

The report explained that some significant budget cuts were imminent, and that the swim and dive program was one of the athletic programs that could potentially be cut. The team avoided cuts through extensive fundraising, but questions remained about the team’s future.

Coming into this season, the success that had become the norm for UNCW men’s program was in question for the first time in over a decade. The uncertainty of the program’s future led to a handful of transfers, leaving the team undermanned and in a position to snap a 12-year winning streak.

That wasn’t the case, however, as UNCW rallied from behind on the last day of the CAA Championships to defeat William and Mary by eight points, 729.5-721.5, for their 13th consecutive CAA title.

“This 13-year streak is amazing, it really is” Allen said. “I’m sure going to appreciate it a lot more once I take time to sit back and look at it, because now I’m going to have that time. This past year, this [championship] was not expected, to be honest with you. What these guys were able to accomplish is truly remarkable, and it was a great gift to me. There’s no sweeter way to finish off a career than what we were able to do a couple weeks ago.”

Prior to today’s announcement, Allen first met with his team to let them know that he would be stepping down. The meeting, according to swimmers who were present, was emotional but not sad.

“The room was emotional, but in a happy way,” senior Michael Baric said. “Everyone was happy for him.”

The move will be tough for many of the underclassmen swimmers, all of which describe Allen as a father figure to them.

“Coach cares about you so much, and he shows it,” Baric said. “You can’t ask for much more from a coach. It’s very special.”

Aside from the success of the men’s program, Allen talked at length about how proud he is of the women’s program, one that started with only a handful of swimmers and has grown to over 30.

“For about the first 10 or 12 years of [the women’s program], there were single digits on our team,” Allen said. “We’d have five, eight girls, and we knew that had to change. Now, to sit here year in and year out and have 35-38 girls, that means a great deal.”

While Allen is retiring, he doesn’t plan on disappearing from Wilmington entirely. As for what he’ll do next, he talked about transitioning from coach to fan.

“Over the last two days, it’s become clear to me that this is the right time,” Allen said. “Standing in front of the team today, I felt very good. Not being apart of what’s going to happen the next couple years will hurt a bit, but I know it’s the right time. I’m going to move from the deck to the balcony, where I’ll become a big cheerleader.”