Now in his 19th season as Texas head diving coach, Matt Scoggin has clearly established Texas as one of the nation's premier diving programs. A former U.S. Olympic diver and a 2008 and 2000 USA Olympic diving coach, Scoggin has been recognized nationally for his outstanding efforts. In 2009 and 2010, Scoggin was selected as the United States Olympic Committee's National Diving Coach of the Year. In 2009, USA Diving bestowed upon Scoggin the Benjamin Foundation Coaches Performance Award and The Ted Keller Award. In the summer of 2010, Scoggin won USA Diving's Coach of Excellence Award at the USA Diving National Championships. Later in 2010, he was selected as a coach for Team USA at the FINA World Cup. Scoggin has been selected as a men's or women's NCAA Coach of the Yearsix times and is a 12-time Big 12 Conference Diving Coach of the Year. The Longhorns' diving program has set the standard of diving excellence for national and international competitions alike. Former Longhorn Laura Wilkinson, a three-time Olympian, earned a gold medal on the 10-meter platform at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and placed fifth at the Athens Games in 2004. She also claimed a gold medal on the 10-meter platform at the 2005 World Championships. She captured gold medals in the 10-meter platform and the women's synchronized platform at the 2005 Speedo National Diving Championships. Texas-Ex Verya Ilyina (who competed for Russia) has also excelled on the international level, winning the gold medal on the three-meter synchronized springboard at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and capturing the silver in that event at the Athens Games in 2004. Additionally, Texas-Exes Troy and Justin Dumais won bronze in the 3-meter synchro at the 2005 World Championships. Troy won silver and bronze medals at the 2006 FINA World Diving Cup in China and has represented the United States at the lastfour Olympiads. During the 2011-12 campaign, Scoggin coached senior Drew Livingston to a NCAA Championship on the 1-meter board as well as All-American performances in the 3-meter and platform and an All-American performance by Matt Cooper in the platform as well. Scoggin was chosen as the CSCAA Diving Coach of the Year after Livingston was chosen as the NCAA Diver of the Meet. On the women's side both Shelby Cullinan and Diana Wilcox competed at the NCAA Championships. Livingston also won Big 12 Championships in the 1-meter and platform competitions to earn Big 12 Diver of the Year while Scoggin was selected Big 12 Diving Coach of the Year. Texas divingput together a tremendous year in 2010. Maren Taylor scored points on all three boards for the UT women at the 2010 NCAA Championships. On the men's side, Drew Livingston and Matt Cooper played vital roles in UT's run to the 2010 NCAA team title. Cooper and Livingston placed third and seventh, respectively, in the platform event to help Texas pull away from California in the team standings. Livingston opened the 2010 NCAA Championships with a third-place finish in the one-meter event, while Cooper won the event's consolation final. Cooper added one point to the Texas tally with a 16th-place showing in the three-meter event. Cooper and Livingston won one title apiece at the 2010 Big 12 Championships. Scoggin's men's and women's diving corps accumulated a bundle of points at the 2009 NCAA Championships. Jessica Livingston and Shelby Cullinan placed second and third, respectively, in the platform event. Livingston added a fourth-place finish in the three-meter event, and Cullinan went on to place sixth. Kathryn Kelly placed sixth overall in the one-meter event. Drew Livingston captured the NCAA men's one-meter title before taking second on the platform and 14th in the three-meter event. Jonathan Wilcox added a fifth-place finish in the one-meter event. Scoggin's men's and women's diving corps excelled at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Kathryn Kelly placed third in the three-meter event and fourth in the one-meter, and Mary Yarrison took second in the one-meter event and ninth in the three-meter event with a score that would have won the competition had she reached the finals. Matt Cooper placed sixth on the platform, while Jonathan Wilcox took seventh and earned All-America honors in the three-meter event and added an honorable mention All-America showing in the one-meter event. At the 2007 NCAA Championship, one male diver and four female divers earned All-America honors under Scoggin's tutelage. Mike Wong garnered honorable mention All-America honors on the platform, while Jessica Livingston claimed the NCAA platform title and added a third-place finish in the three-meter event. Mary Yarrison earned All-America honors by placing seventh on the three-meter. Kathryn Kelly placed eighth in the one-meter event to earn All-America honors, while Kara-Jayne Salamone tallied honorable mention All-America honors on the platform. At the NCAA Championship in 2004, Scoggin steered Nicole Pohorenec to the platform title, earning the first national championship of her career. Pohorenec, who earned All-America and All-America Honorable Mention accolades as a freshman and sophomore, respectively, became the fourth diver under Scoggin's tutelage to capture an NCAA individual championship. As director of the Longhorns' men's and women's diving program, Scoggin's divers have claimed 17 individual NCAA championships, 37 individual Big 12 titles, while also producing a four-time Big 12 Conference Men's and Women's Diver of the Year, three SWC champions and a two-time SWC Diver of the Year. In 2004 alone, the Longhorns men and women's teams combined to win three of the six events at the Big 12 Conference Championships. The women's squad was victorious on the platform, while the men's team posted first-place finishes on the three-meter and the platform. In addition, Jonathan Linette was the Big 12 Male Diver of the Year for the second-straight year. Ilyina was a two-time NCAA Diver of the Year, who was named the 1997-98 Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year as well as the 1998 NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Texas. Ilyina also was selected as a recipient of the prestigious 1998 NCAA Today's Top Eight Award, which honors eight distinguished student-athletes from the preceding calendar year for achievement in athletics, academics and leadership. In addition to coaching such Longhorn greats, Scoggin was named Head Coach of the 2001 U.S. World Championships Team. Scoggin, a veteran Longhorn who competed for Texas from 1981-85, has succeeded at every level of the sport. His world-class diving career came to a close at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. There, he reached the finals of his specialty event, the platform. Perhaps even more telling of his world-class success was his selection as team captain at those Olympic Games and the recognition he received by the U.S. Olympic Committee when they voted him 1992 Athlete of the Year for diving. Two of the key traits that helped Scoggin reach the world-level ranks of success are his intense dedication to the sport and a keen technical eye. As a coach, he continues where he left off as an athlete. Scoggin, a native of Great Falls, Va., began his coaching career in 1986 as an assistant coach for the Longhorn Diving Club. In 1993 Scoggin became head coach for the Texas Diving Club and in less than a year, two of his junior divers claimed state diving titles. In 1994, Scoggin returned to The University of Texas, taking over the program he helped establish as a national power. Scoggin is married to former Texas diver Becca Culver. They have one daughter, Grace. |
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