June 9, 2005

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri head swimming coach Brian Hoffer has announced that former Mizzou diver James Sweeney has been named the new Tiger diving coach. Sweeney coached the Mizzou divers on an interim basis for the second half of last season, replacing Greg Triefenbach, who resigned in December.

"James is one of the best young coaches in the country," Hoffer said. "His passion and commitment to Mizzou is what really made him stand out. I feel that James gives us the best chance to be successful at the national level as we push this program forward with the new facility."

Under Sweeney's tutelage last season, Mizzou juniors Evan Watters and Nicole Frazier both qualified for NCAA Nationals, marking the first time a pair of Tigers have accomplished that feat in nearly a quarter century.

The Eureka, Mo. native also brings a long resume of club coaching experience to the Tiger staff. In two years as coach, he expanded the Missouri Diving Club from five athletes to 45, and produced four national qualifiers and two national finalists. Sweeney also sent four divers to nationals in two years as coach of the Clayton Diving Alliance, and captured the Blue Jays Diving Club's first conference title in a dozen years during his lone summer at the helm.

Sweeney himself was a standout for Mizzou on the boards as well, and served as captain of the 2003 diving team en route to finishing his career as the all-time Mizzou record holder on the one and three-meter boards (both records have since been broken by Watters). He was named Missouri swimming and diving's '02 MVP after earning a runner-up finish at that year's conference championship meet.

At Eureka High School, Sweeney was a three-time conference champion and team MVP. He placed fourth at the state meet as a junior, and followed that up with a runner-up finish as a senior. He also dove for the Lightning Diving Club in St. Peters, Mo.

Sweeney graduated from Missouri in '04 with a degree in Leisure Service Management.