BETHANY, W.Va. - The Bethany College community mourns the loss of Hall of Fame swimmer, All-American, and National Champion Larry Weiss '70 who, on February 14, passed away at the age of 77.

A member of the Bethany College Class of 1970, Weiss was a member of four Presidents' Athletic Conference championship teams for the Bison and was a part of the Green and White's 1967 400-yard freestyle relay team that won a National Association of Interscholastic Athletics Championship alongside teammates Pete Cassell '70, Jim Veres '70, and the late Jeff Stuek '70: all of whom have been inducted into the Bethany College Athletics Hall of Fame. In 1967, Weiss helped lead the Bison men's swimming and diving team to a fifth-place finish in the NAIA Championships followed by a fourth-place finish in 1968 and a sixth-place finish in 1969.
 
Weiss was also a five-time All-American with four of those honors coming in that historic 1966-67 season in the 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard individual medley, 400-yard individual medley, and the 400-yard freestyle events. He was inducted into the Bethany College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 and was named to the PAC's 60th Anniversary Men's Swimming and Diving Team in 2015.

At Bethany, Weiss met his wife of 56 years, Marsha, and was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity.

Even after graduating in 1970, Weiss was always very passionate about swimming and became one of around 2,000 people to have ever swum across the English Channel, accomplishing the feat twice in his lifetime while also swimming around the entirety of Manhattan Island four times.
 
Weiss's legacy will continue to inspire future generations of athletes, coaches, and students at Bethany College.

A celebration of life service will be held on Friday, February 27 at 11 a.m. at Kent R. Hance Chapel in Lubbock, Texas with more information on Weiss's life and career HERE.