William Carey University, an NAIA school in Mississippi, will add a varsity diving program to its top 10 ranked program beginning in the 2027-2028 season.
The school launched a varsity swim program two years ago at its Hattiesburg campus. Beginning in 2027, it will transfer to the school’s Biloxi campus. Diving will remain in Hattiesburg, where they will have access to diving facilities at the University of Southern Mississippi.
The six lane lap pool does not have a varsity team of its own and includes both 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards.
The school has hired Louis Gagnet as head diving coach and assistant swim coach. As an athlete, he was an All-American performer at FSU and Cal and was named the Most Valuable Diver at the 2002 ACC Championships. He graduated from Cal in 2004 and worked in a number of corporate roles before moving into entrepreneurship. He currently owns a volleyball bar called “Switchyard” in Hattiesburg.
Hattiesburg and Biloxi are about 75 miles apart by car.
In spite of being a relatively-new program, William Carey has already built itself into a national power at the NAIA level. At the 2026 NAIA Championships, the women’s team finished 10th and the men’s team finished 6th.
Aside from Keiser, who won their 2nd-straight men’s title and 5th-straight women’s title, most of the top NAIA programs don’t score substantial points in diving at the NAIA Championships. NAIA sponsors 1-meter and 3-meter diving events.
