UConn Hires David McKown as New Diving Coach
The University of Connecticut Friday announced the hiring of David McKown as the Huskies’ new diving coach.
McKown spent seven seasons as the diving coach at the University of Indianapolis, leading the squad to a pair of top-three finishes at the 2022 NCAA Division II championships. McKown helped mentor UIndy’s first national diving champion in 1-meter winner Cade Hammond, part of a 1-2-3 sweep of the podium.
“I am incredibly excited and grateful to be a part of UConn Nation!,” McKown said in a university statement. “I am very much looking forward to taking UConn’s diving program to the next level.”
McKown has made his name in the Midwest. A native of Indianapolis, he competed at Miami University (Ohio), graduating in 2010. At UIndy, he developed 38 first-team All-Americans, 22 conference championship winners and 12 Great Lakes Valley Conference Divers of the Year. He has won the GLVC Paraton Award, and was the Division II Men’s Diving Coach of the Year in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Under McKown, Kamila Podsiadlo finished second in the women’s 3-meter at NCAAs in 2022, and Julio Osuna Kelly was second in the men’s 3-meter.
“Our program is fortunate to have a coach like Dave,” UConn head swimming coach Chris Maiello said. “His national level experience and his club diving background will serve our student-athletes and program at an elite level. It is a great time to be a husky, and coach Dave is going to be really good for our program.”
McKown also served as the head satellite diving coach at the Indiana International School of Diving. There, he mentored one 2020 Olympic Trials qualifier, 15 Junior Olympic regional gold medalists and 11 Junior National finalists.
McKown replaces Josh Arndt, who was hired in August to be the head diving coach at the University of Virginia. McKown was the Big East’s women’s diving coach of the year in 2022.