NEWARK, Delaware, September 19. BRIAN Payne, a 38-year veteran of the coaching ranks in diving, gymnastics, and cheerleading, has been selected as diving coach for the University of Delaware men’s and women’s swimming & diving program, head coach John Hayman has announced.
Payne, a native of Horseheads, N.Y., is former standout diver at State University College at Cortland (N.Y.) where he was a four-year NCAA Championship qualifier and served as team captain as a senior. He earned his degree in physical education with a concentration in aquatics, gymnastics, biomechanics, and psychology in 1980 and studied at the graduate level in education and business administration at Bowie (Md.) State.
“We are excited about having Coach Payne join our coaching staff as our new diving coach,” said Hayman, who will begin his 27th year at the helm this winter. “He brings a wealth of coaching experience to our program. His background in coaching diving, gymnastics, stunts, and tumbling and movement education should give our divers the necessary skills and motivation to be some of the best divers in our conference.”
Payne holds national judging and safety credentials in gymnastics, springboard diving, sports acrobatics, trampoline, power tumbling, cheerleading, and dance. His teams have won numerous championship titles in a multitude of acrobatic related sports and he has trained athletes that have competed in World Championships in three different sports.
“I’m anticipating great things for the University of Delaware diving program this season,” said Payne. “We have six juniors and a sophomore returning with experience at the CAA meet and had 12 top 16 finishes a year ago. We hope to take full advantage when Delaware hosts the CAA conference diving meet this season.”
Payne set 14 school and pool records while at Horseheads High School before heading to Cortland where he was a four-year letterwinner in 1975-79 and was SUNYAC finalist on both the one-meter and three-meter boards each season, finishing second in both as a senior in 1979. He participated in the NCAA Championships all four years and placed 18th nationally in the three-meter and 25th in the one-meter as a senior when he earned the team’s George Breen Award for Outstanding Performance in Aquatics. After graduation and a 10-year hiatus from the sport, he placed second in the men’s open division at the Maryland State Games.
Payne was a 10-time Central Maryland Diving League Coach of the Year with the Waugh Chapel Swim Club Diving Team in Gambrills, Md. between 1984-99, a three-time Sullivan Trail Conference Coach of the Year for gymnastics at Horseheads (N.Y.) High School in 1980-83, was an eight-time U.S. Sports Acrobatics and Tumbling nationals coach, was a delegate to the U.S. Olympic Training Center, and has judged numerous major events both nationally and internationally. He also coached diving at the Empire State Games in 1980-81, becoming the youngest coach ever to serve for the Central Region.
He coached 12 high school diving teams in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system between 2003-05, helping several divers advance to the state meet. In 2006-10, he coached diving at Fletcher High School in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. and led his teams to five conference championships while producing a district and regional champion and helping several boys and girls divers advance to the state meet. He also coached diving at Seabreeze High School in Ormond Beach, Fla. in 2005-06.
Most recently, Payne coached diving at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown, Del. during the 2013-14 season and had two of his divers place in the top 10 at the 2014 Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships at UD’s Rawstrom Pool in February.
Payne and his wife, Layne Thompson-Payne, reside in Milford, Del. She is a former opera singer and concert pianist and currently serves as the music director for the Greenwood Mennonite School, the Lewes Men’s Choir, and St. Peter’s Church in Smyrna.
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