As a former diver and the father to two daughters who are divers, Abel Sánchez knows how important it is to approach coaching women’s diving with care. Sánchez, who has been the head diving coach at the University of Arkansas since 2021, is cultivating an atmosphere of camaraderie and safety for his divers through weekly team meetings and bonding get-togethers
“Women and men are very different, and, having two daughters of my own and having coached women's programs in the past, it’s crucial to create an environment and cohesive team in order for the ladies to feel comfortable because diving can be a scary sport,” said Sánchez.
Sánchez is very familiar with the difficulty level of competitive diving. He was a decorated diver for the University of Michigan in college and represented Peru in the 2000 Olympic Games at Syndey, Australia. His skills led him to a career as an award-winning competitive diving coach. Spanning 26 years, Sánchez has coached at the University of New Mexico, University of North Carolina and Dive Calgary in Canada. His stellar coaching abilities has advanced several of his team members to the NCAA championships. When Sánchez received the offer to become the head diving coach at the University of Arkansas, he saw an opportunity to recharge the program.
“This will be a new era of diving at the University of Arkansas. There have been some great divers in the past, so we are standing on the shoulders of great divers. Since I’ve joined the team, the program has changed night and day. The ladies want to dive, want to be better, want to learn new dives. I’m working with women who truly want to be here,” said Sánchez.
Sánchez has only been with the university’s diving team for four seasons, but he has already coached his first athlete to the NCAA championships: a freshman named Maria Sanchz who was named an All-American Honorable Mention after placing 16th in the country.
When he isn’t focusing on leading his athletes to victory, Sánchez is working to introduce a love for diving in the next generation of children ages 6-18 at the Razorback Diving Academy, the only club team in Arkansas.
“Diving is not a popular sport, but I wish it were. I would love to blow it up and introduce as many kids as possible to diving. It’s a cool, intriguing, dynamic sport, and I think that it’s a lot harder than people think. I would encourage as many young ladies to try diving out,” said Sánchez.
More information about the diving academy can be found at razorbackdiving.com.
This will be a new era of diving at the University of Arkansas. There have been some great divers in the past, so we are standing on the shoulders of great divers. Since I’ve joined the team, the program has changed night and day.