Troy Dumais named USA Diving Athlete of the Year

CHICAGO – Troy Dumais (Ventura, Calif./Austin, Texas) was honored as USA Diving’s Athlete of the Year at the United States Aquatic Sports convention.

The three-time Olympian won two silver medals at the 2009 FINA World Championships, leading the U.S. to its best showing at a World Championships since 1991. He won the silver medal on 3-meter and paired with Kristian Ipsen for the synchronized 3-meter silver. Additionally, he won three national titles and added a pair of gold medals at the AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix.

Jeff Bro of GC Diving received the Moose Moss Age Group Coach of the Year award. Divers from his club had six top-five finishes at the 2009 Speedo Junior National Championships. In the spring, his club won the team title at the Junior West Championships, with three individual titles and 13 top-five finishes.

Indiana University coach Jeff Huber won the Mike Peppe Award, presented to the outstanding senior diving coach, for the second consecutive season and ninth time in his career. Indiana Diving won the team title at the AT&T National Diving Championships, where Christina Loukas won a national title and added two silver medals. Loukas represented the U.S. at the World Championships, and two other divers were on the 2009 World University Games team.

Two-time Olympic silver medalist Michele Mitchell was awarded the Phil Boggs award, which honors those who have achieved individual excellence in diving and have given back a part of themselves to assure the sport’s continuation and success. Mitchell currently serves as chair of USA Diving’s Committee for Competitive Excellence and helped bring the 2010 FINA Junior World Championships to the U.S. The meet will be held in Tucson, Ariz., next September.

Peter Lasser was honored with the Glenn McCormick Award, presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the sport of diving. Lasser has produced several diving events for television, and the Benjamin Foundation Coaches Performance Award was made possible due to Lasser’s efforts.

The Benjamin Foundation Coaches Performance Award recognizes coaches whose divers medal at the World Championships or Olympic Games, and six coaches were honored in 2009. Wenbo Chen, Hongping Li, Matt Scoggin, Adam Soldati, Phil Tonne and John Wingfield were recognized.

Local Diving Association Awards were presented to Dave Goodwin and Sally Hansell of the Florida Gold Coast Association and Mandy Hixon, Keith Miller and Amy Parratto of the New England Association.

About USA Diving: Featuring America’s best divers, USA Diving is the national governing body for the sport of diving. Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Diving offers diversified programs geared toward the broadest number of diving enthusiasts, from the novice to the world champion. USA Diving conducts approximately 40 regional and national events annually and is responsible for training and selecting teams that represent the United States at international events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cup. For additional information please call Jennifer Lowery at (317) 237-5252 or visit www.usadiving.org.