The South Carolina swimming and diving team announced Monday it hired Michael Wright as its head diving coach.
The move comes after Dale Schultz, who was hired as the head diving coach in May 2021, decided to retire from coaching.
“We’re very excited to welcome Mike to our coaching staff and have no doubt that he will bring an energy and passion,” head swimming and diving coach Jeff Poppell said in a release. “He’s been an instrumental part of the success of Tennessee’s diving program over the last nine years. In addition, as the head club coach in Knoxville, he has consistently developed some of the top young diving talents in the nation.”
While attending the University of Tennessee from 2009 to 2011, Wright was an SEC champion and named an All-American. In 2010, he became the first African-American to win a title at the USA Diving Winter National Championships.
Wright has since been named a six-time Tennessee High School Diving Coach of the Year and served two stints as a volunteer coach at his alma mater.
With his retirement, Schultz completes a collegiate coaching career spanning more than 30 years across four schools -- Arkansas, Florida, Purdue and South Carolina. His daughter, Brooke, joined South Carolina's diving team last season and was named SEC Diver of the Year after winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter championships and earned NCAA berths in both events.
“Congratulations to Dale on his retirement after a long and accomplished coaching career that saw him achieve great success every place he’s been,” Poppell said in a release. “Dale has been a tremendous friend to me over the past 14 years and I will truly miss the fun times shared between us. I can’t thank him enough for leaving the comforts of home last year and agreeing to come to South Carolina to help us in our quest to build something great here in Columbia. I wish him and his family all the best as they begin this new and exciting chapter.”