Men's Swimming and Diving
- Title:
- Head Diving Coach
- Email:
- drjohans@iu.edu
- Phone:
- (812) 855-7015
Drew Johansen was named the third diving coach in Indiana University history on April 29, 2013.
Since taking over the program, Johansen has been named CSCAA Diving Coach of the Year three times (men’s in 2018 and 2023, women’s in 2022) and Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year five times (men’s in 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2023, women’s in 2022).
Johansen was honored by both the CSCAA and the Big Ten for a second-straight season in 2022-23, this time for his work with the men’s divers. He was named the CSCAA Men’s Diving Coach of the Year and Big Ten Men’s Diving Coach of the Year following a historic performance at the 2023 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships.
On its own, Indiana diving would have been the 12th-highest scoring team at the national meet, contributing 104 points to IU swimming and diving’s fourth-place finish. The Hoosiers scored 32.5 more points than any other diving squad as three IU divers scored at least 30 points, combining for five medals and two national titles. Andrew Capobianco captured his third-career 3-meter title with a program-record 522.60 score, while teammates Quinn Henninger and Carson Tyler placed third and fourth, respectively. Tyler then captured his first-career national title on platform with a 476.60 mark, while Henninger took bronze – his second medal of the meet.
The IU men also swept the Big Ten diving titles for a second consecutive season, contributing greatly to the swim and dive program’s repeat conference championship.
Indiana women’s swimming and diving tied a program-record seventh-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships, thanks in part to Anne Fowler and newcomer Skyler Liu. Fowler became the third different Hoosier to medal on the 3-meter springboard, capturing a silver medal – her top national finish in any event. In her first NCAA meet, Liu placed fourth on platform and 14th on 3-meter.
The Fowler-Liu duo dominated at the Big Ten Championships as the only two athletes to qualify for all three diving championship finals. Fowler was named the Big Ten Diver of the Championships as IU swim and dive finished second as a team – the program’s 17th consecutive top-three performance.
The 2021-22 season was a banner year for Johansen and IU diving as he was named the CSCAA Women’s Diving Coach of the Year and Big Ten Women’s Diving Coach of the Year. Johansen led his men’s and women’s teams to a combined 148 points at the national meet, 47 points better than the next-best program, and six different athletes (three men, three women) totaled a program record 13 All-America honors.
As a sophomore, Tarrin Gilliland was selected as the CSCAA and Big Ten diver of the year as well as the lone diving finalist for the Honda Sport Award. Gilliland repeated as NCAA Champion in platform diving and was one of two women’s divers to finish top eight nationally in all three diving events. Additionally, Gilliland was the Big Ten Champion in platform diving and earned a bronze medal for 3-meter diving on both the national and conference levels.
For the second straight season and third time in four years, Andrew Capobianco was named the Big Ten Men’s Diver of the Year and Big Ten Diver of the Championships after becoming the first athlete to complete the Big Ten Championships triple since 2011, winning gold in all three events at the conference meet. Nationally, Capobianco earned silver in each of the springboard events and placed ninth in platform diving.
The 2020-21 season was shortened due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and limited the Hoosier swim and dive program to just three meets before the postseason. The IU men’s team finished the year 4-0, placed runner-up at the 2021 Big Ten Championships and sixth at the NCAA Championships. The women’s team went 4-1 in dual meets, placed third at the conference meet and 15th at the national meet. Redshirt junior diver Andrew Capobianco claimed Big Ten Co-Diver of the Championships. A total of 17 Hoosiers earned All-Big recognition.
Three divers combined to earn eight All-American honors at the 2021 NCAA Championships and both Capobianco and freshman diver Tarrin Gilliland each won individual national championships in diving events for Indiana.
In the rescheduled Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Johansen was named the head diving coach for the third-straight games. Team USA earned three diving medals (2S, 1B). Two of the three events that resulted in medals had IU representation as silver medals were earned by Andrew Capobianco (3m Synchro Springboard), Mike Hixon (3m Synchro Springboard) and Jessica Parratto (10m Synchro Platform).
The shortened 2019-20 season saw Mory Gould earn Big Ten Diver of the Week on Jan. 15, 2020. Gould also earned Indiana's top individual finish at a diving event at the 2020 Big Ten Championships after taking sixth in the 3-meter competition.
Cole VanDevender finished inside the top-10 at the Big Ten Championships in all three events, the 1-meter (ninth), 3-meter (ninth) and platform (10th).
Both VanDevender and Gould hit Olympic Trial marks during the course of the 2019-20 season in the 3-meter dive.
Johansen repeated as Big Ten Men's Diving Coach of the Year in 2018-19 after helping IU win both the men's and women's swimming and diving Big Ten team titles in the same year for the first time in program history.
James Connor was named the Big Ten Diver of the Men's Championships after winning the league crowns in the 1-meter and 3-meter, while Jessica Parratto was named Big Ten Diver of the Women's Championships after taking first in both the 1-meter and platform at the Big Ten's.
Under Johansen's guidance, Andrew Capobianco became the first Hoosier to win the NCAA Championship in the 3-meter dive in 38 years. The national title helped Capobianco be named the Big Ten Diver of the Year.
After helping the Hoosier men to a third-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships, Johansen was named the National Diving Coach of the Year, as well as the Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year for the second time.
The Hoosiers had a historic week at the NCAA Championships, finishing third overall in the team standings with a total of 422 points. The top-10 finish for the Hoosiers at the NCAA Championships was the sixth in the last seven years. The Hoosier diving team had a tremendous showing, scoring a NCAA-best 98 points, with Michael Hixon winning the NCAA title in the 1-meter dive.
Johansen also helped guide the Hoosier men to the program's second-straight Big Ten team championship. Indiana earned back-to-back Big Ten Championships for the first time since winning three-straight from 1983-85.
The 2016-17 season was another stellar campaign for Johansen and the IU diving program. Michael Hixon was named Diver of the Championships after the junior shattered the Big Ten Championships record in each of his diving victories, scoring a total of 488.65 in the one-meter and 520.40 points in the three-meter.
Diving played a huge part in the Hoosiers claiming the program's 25th Big Ten championship, as the four IU divers combined to score a total of 242 points on the week.
Jessica Parratto won Big Ten Championship in the platform dive, returning from her Olympic redshirt season to reclaim her title won in 2015. For the week, Parratto made the Championship Finals in all three diving events, finishing fifth in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives.
At the NCAA Championships, the quartet of Hixon, James Connor, Jessica Parratto and Cody Coldren combined to earn eight All-America accolades, led by Parratto who earned three herself.
The 2015-16 season was a terrific one for Johansen - both coaching the Hoosiers and as head coach of Team USA at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
Johansen was named head coach for the Olympic squad for the second time, as IU's Jessica Parratto, Michael Hixon and Amy Cozad were all on the team. IU's James Connor also dove in the Olympics for Team Australia.
Hixon won silver in Rio in the men's 3m Springboard Synchro, highlighting a great showing for Team USA at the Olympics.
At the NCAA Championships, Johansen saw Joshua Arndt and Lacey Houser earn All-America honors in the 3m dive. Arndt took fourth place, while Houser finished eighth overall.
The 2014-15 season was a terrific year for the Indiana divers, highlighted by Jessica Parratto winning the NCAA Championship in platform. At the Big Ten Championships, the IU men swept all three events – 1 meter, 3 meter and platform.
Johansen was also named the head coach of the 2015 U.S. World Championship team, where he coached former IU divers Darian Schmidt and Amy Cozad.
Prior to Indiana, Johansen spent six seasons as the head diving coach at Duke University.
In March 2013 he directed Duke diver Nick McCrory to his third NCAA title on the platform, matching titles he won in 2010 and 2011. McCrory also posted runner-up finishes on the 1-meter and 3-meter at the NCAA meet, making him a nine-time NCAA All-American. He was the 2013 Atlantic Coast Conference champion in all three disciplines and is the most decorated diver in ACC history with a total of eight conference titles. For his efforts McCrory was named the 2013 ACC Diver of the Year for the third time in as many years of competition.
From 2008-11, Johnston won six ACC titles, including a sweep of all springboard events in 2010 and 2011. In all, Duke divers have brought home 15 ACC titles in his six seasons as head coach of the Blue Devils.
USA Diving named Johansen head coach of the U.S. diving team for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Prior to the appointment Johansen had spent seven years as a U.S. National Team coach, including serving as head coach of the 2011 World Championship team. Under his direction at the 2012 Olympic Games, U.S. divers took home four medals, including a bronze medal for Nick McCrory in the men's 10-meter synchronized competition and a silver for Abby Johnston in the women's 3-meter synchronized event. Both McCrory and Johnston dove for Johansen while student-athletes at Duke.
Overall under Johansen's direction the United States took home one gold, one silver and two bronze medals from London. It was the most diving medals for the Americans since the 1988 Olympic Games.
Johansen is a former member of the USA Diving National Team and has coaching experience at the club, collegiate, national and international level. In addition to his work at the 2012 Olympic and 2011 World Championships, Johansen coached the U.S. Diving World Championship team in 2005 and U.S. Diving Junior World Team in 2002. He founded the U.S. Elite Diving Academy in Columbus, Ohio in 2001, developing it into one of the largest and most successful junior and senior programs in the nation. Under Johansen's direction, the U.S. Elite Diving Academy won the U.S. Diving Junior Team title in 2005 and in 2006 captured the Junior and Senior team titles.
Since 2007 Johansen has been the head coach and owner of The American School for Diving, which is a USA Diving Center of Excellence and in 2012 produced a Junior World Championships gold medalist in the 16-18 women's 3-meter.
In addition to his six seasons as head coach at Duke, Johansen has served as head coach at Illinois State (1999-2001) and Florida Atlantic (1991-95), earning conference coach of the year honors four times at FAU. During the 1992-93 season at FAU, Johansen coached four All-America selections, three honorable mention All-America picks and a 3-meter national champion. While at FAU he also oversaw the program's transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. From 2004-07 he served as a volunteer assistant coach at Ohio State. He attended Arizona State University where he was a member of the diving team.
Johansen and his wife Jenny, herself a two-time Olympic diver and former head diving coach at the University of North Carolina, have one daughter, Lina Mei.
