As Grand Canyon University begins its transition to a full-blown Division I program this season, they saw the need to add a diving program. As such, head coach Steve Schaffer has announced the formation of a diving squad to complement their swimmers beginning in the fall of 2014, which will be headed by Tracey Berghian.
“I appreciate the athletic department giving us the opportunity to add diving to our program and give us the ability to compete in a full schedule of NCAA meet events,” said Schaffer. “We have done well in the past even though we had to compete without divers and we will be an even more competitive program as we add divers for the 2014-15 season. Tracey brings an excellent collegiate competitive background and a real passion for the sport. She has been pushing me since she was a graduate student here to get the diving program started and with the move to D-I we have been able to make that a reality.”
Berghian, who is a Phoenix native, dove collegiately at New Mexico, where she was a four-time team captain, the 2004 Mountain West diver of the year, and spent a year as the diving coach.
The Lopes will be in a reclassification transition period for four years, during which time they are ineligible to send swimmers or divers to the NCAA Championship meet. The aquatics programs, much as the rest of the school’s varsity squads, will compete in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
Good news ! This will help make the program become more competitive and with Steve’s leadership & excellent coaching they’ll continue to improve.
T Hill