University of Minnesota Athletics
Women's Swimming & Diving
- Title:
- Assistant Diving Coach
- Email:
- hawle224@umn.edu
Hawley joins the Gophers from New Mexico State Aggies, where he helped lead all aspects of their diving program, including recruiting, training, culture development, and meet operations. During his time with the Aggies, he played a major role in developing the program's first ever NCAA Zone Diving finalist.
"Zach is a very accomplished diving coach, and we are fortunate to have him join our program this fall! It will be a lot of fun watching Wenbo and Zach team up to help our divers reach their full potential!" said Director of Swimming and Diving, Kelly Kremer.
Before New Mexico State, Hawley spent nine seasons as the Head Diving Coach at George Mason University where he was a three-time Atlantic-10 Diving Coach of the Year. At George Mason, he also played a part in developing four conference champions and an NCAA qualifier. He also coached three A-10 Diver of the Year award recipients and led 13 individuals to Division I NCAA Zone Qualifiers.
Hawley made quite a name for himself while in Fairfax, Virginia, as he also was the owner and head coach of the Mason Dive Academy which provides a dive program for athletes of all ages and skill levels. Coach Hawley made it his mission to build and develop strong, successful and confident young individuals in the sport of diving with the ultimate goal of getting these values to carry over to other facets of life.
Prior to his tenure at George Mason, Hawley spent two years with South Dakota State University as a graduate assistant where he played a vital role in SDSU's transition into a Division I program.
While at South Dakota State, his athletes broke all the program's diving records and Hawley helped guide the Jackrabbits to their first NCAA Zone Qualifiers in school history.
From 2010-2012, Hawley traveled across the nation during the summer to spend time with some of the top coaches in the nation. These trips included spending time working at several collegiate camps including camps at The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Indiana and The University of Missouri.
"I'm incredibly excited to be joining the Golden Gopher staff as the Assistant Diving Coach. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to continue learning and growing as a coach, with the added bonus of returning to the Midwest. The University of Minnesota holds a special place in my journey; it's where I attended my first-ever diving camps and where I've competed many times as both an athlete and a coach.
I've been fortunate to have success at the national age group level and within NCAA Division I mid-major programs. I'm eager to learn from a highly respected coaching staff that has produced Big Ten champions, NCAA champions, and Olympic medalists," said Hawley.
Hawley earned a bachelor's in Physical Education, Exercise Science, and Wellness from the University of North Dakota in 2009. He also pursued master's degree work in Kinesiology at UND, as well as Sports Pedagogy and Recreational Management at South Dakota State University.
