NORTHWESTERN NAMES NEW HEAD DIVING COACH
CSTV.com, NY
Aug. 14, 2006
Alik Sarkisian will take reigns of both men’s and women’s diving
programs
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern has hired Alik Sarkisian as the new
men’s and women’s head diving coach, the school announced today.
Sarkisian joins the Wildcats after one year as the head diving coach
at the Victory Diving Club in Oklahoma City. He has a wealth of head
coaching experience, beginning his career as the USSR National Team
coach from 1980-1990 before becoming the National Team coach in his
native Armenia from 1991-93.
He then moved to the United States where he was an assistant with
Rose Bowl Aquatics in Pasadena, Calif., from 1993-98 before becoming
the head coach with the Trojan Dive Club and an assistant coach at
USC from 1998-2001.
Following his stint with the Trojans, Sarkisian became the director
and head coach at the USA Diving Regional Training Center from 2001-05.
Sarkisian has earned a number of coaching accomplishments within USA
and international diving, most notably serving as the USA National Team
Coach for the 2003 and 2005 Pan-Am Games. He has coached at numerous
FINA Grand Prix events and Olympic trials and training camps. In 1996,
he was Armenia’s National Team coach at the Atlanta Olympic Games.
A 13-time Armenian national champion, Sarkisian competed
internationally for the USSR. He graduated in 1980 with professional
level training in sports science and education from the USSR State
University of Physical Education in Yerevan, Armenia.
"We are very excited to turn over the reigns of the diving program to
a very talented coach," NU head women’s swimming coach Jimmy Tierney
said. "Alik has the skills and motivation to continue the rise of NU
diving in the Big Ten and NCAA. We truly believe we have one of the
most talented diving coaches in the world here to coach our divers."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
