Russ Dekker will begin his 7th season as the head diving coach at Ohio University this fall. Since arriving in Athens, Russ has added strength and consistency to the diving program by bringing in some of the top recruits in the conference. This past season, he guided divers Lindsay Hamilton and MaryRose Hilstrom to school records on both 1-meter and 3-meter, on their way to competing at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships.
Prior to his time at Ohio, Russ spend 3 seasons as the men's & women's diving coach at the University of Wyoming. The team regularly placed divers on the Mountain West all-conference team. His time at Wyoming was highlighted by having 6 divers qualify for the 2004 NCAA Zone E Diving Championships.
Russ began his coaching career in Michigan as an assistant with the Legacy and Chippewa Diving clubs & Ypsilanti High School. He coached 3 Michigan State High School diving championships, 9 NISCA All-Americans, and the 2001 national high school runner-up while at Ypsilanti. He was named the Michigan State High School Diving Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2000. While coaching with the Legacy Diving Club, Russ coached 11 junior national qualifiers and 3 senior national qualifiers.
Russ competed collegiately at Eastern Michigan University. He was a 4-time NCAA zone qualifier, a 3-time Mid-American Conference (MAC) All-Academic selection, and the 1995 MAC Diver of the Year. Russ was also a member of 3 MAC team championships while at Eastern Michigan.
