Arizona swimming head coach Eric Hansen announced Tuesday that he is taking a leave of absence in regard to what Athletic Director Greg Byrne called “personal matters.”

Associate head coach Rick DeMont will head the program until Hansen returns. It is unclear how long Hansen will be on leave.

“Coach Eric Hansen is currently attending to personal matters that require him to be away from his coaching responsibilities,” Byrne said in a statement. “We wish Eric the best during this time.”

Hansen is the third UA coach to take a leave in the last few weeks. UA assistant men’s basketball coach Book Richardson has been on leave for health matters, as well as head baseball coach Andy Lopez.

This is Hansen’s third season with the Wildcats. He replaced Frank Busch in April 2011 after coaching at Wisconsin for 12 seasons.

In his first year as head coach, Hansen led the Wildcats to a fourth place men’s finish and fifth place women’s finish in the NCAA Championships, where his swimmers also earned five invidual titles.

The Wildcats faced Utah Saturday, where the women won 204-96 and the men fell short 152-148. Arizona is scheduled to host UNLV Friday at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.

— Follow Nicole Cousins @cousinnicole