Tennessee diving is replacing one legendary coach with another. After the retirement of Dave Parrington as the head diving coach, the Vols have hired Jane Figueiredo. One of the most decorated diving coaches in the world, Figueiredo brings a track record of success in both NCAA and international diving to Knoxville.
“I could not be more excited to have Jane Figueiredo take the reins of Tennessee Diving and lead this program into the future,” Tennessee head swim coach Matt Kredich said on the hire. Kredich would also say of Figueiredo “Jane is a force of nature – she has amazing energy, is relentlessly positive and has a very exciting vision for Tennessee Diving. We cannot wait to have her get started.”
Figueiredo got her start in coaching at her alma mater, the University of Houston. She began as an assistant coach, then served as the head diving coach at Houston from 1990-2014. During that span, she won NCAA Diving Coach of the Year 4 times and guided 8 NCAA champions.
While Figueiredo was coaching at Houston, she also began venturing into the international coaching scene. She coached the British Olympic diving team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Figueiredo then recruited Russian divers Vera Ilyina and Yulia Pakhalina to Houston. That pair would wind up winning gold in women’s 3m springboard synchro at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, becoming the first Olympic champions that Figueiredo coached. Pakhalina and Anastasia Pozdniakova would then win silver medals in 3m springboard synchro at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
In January of 2014, Figueiredo moved to London and began coaching diving prodigy Tom Daley. She would coach Daley for a decade, during which time, he and his various synchro partners would medal at the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Olympics, including gold in 2020. Daley also earned a bronze medal in 10m platform at the 2020 Olympics. In total, Figueiredo has coached divers to 11 Olympic medals and 12 World Championship medals. She was also named World Aquatics Diving Coach of the Year in 2017. In November of 2024, Figueiredo received the International Olympic Committee Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award.
Figueiredo announced she was leaving her position at Aquatics GB back in February of this year, and now has landed a new position in Knoxville.
The move is huge for Tennessee, which has been one of the best diving programs in the NCAA. Parrington announced his retirement as the head diving coach in Knoxville at the end of this past college season, ending a 35-year career at the helm of Tennessee diving. He retired as the most decorated diving coach in SEC history, having won SEC Diving Coach of the Year honors 16 times. The Vols earned 9 NCAA diving titles under Parrington, which is the most by an SEC program since 1911. Interestingly enough, Parrington is also an alum of Houston, and coached for the Cougars as well before coming to Tennessee.
Figueiredo is inheriting a Tennessee diving program that is in good shape. At the Men’s NCAA Championships last month, Tennessee scored 8 points in diving, which may not seem like a ton, however, those 8 points came from freshman Bennett Greene, marking a very bright spot for the Vols for the next few years. Junior Nicholas Stone also qualified for NCAAs in all 3 diving events.
Speaking on her new position, Figueiredo said in part “I am honored to accept the role of Head Diving Coach at the University of Tennessee and so excited to follow in Dave Parrington’s legacy of excellence, tradition and family values.”
Congratulations to Parro and Jane! 2 of the Best!
BOOM!
Sounds like a great hire for the Vols. Women’s diving at UT has been dire for a few years. Hard to win the SEC when you’re 150+ points down after diving.