TedHautau

Ted Hautau enters his 16th season as the head diving coach at the University of Kentucky in 2023-24. Since taking over the program during the 2008-09 season, he has completely transformed Kentucky diving, leading it to national prominence where 11 student-athletes have combined for 40 All-America honors at the NCAA Championships.

Hautau, a well-known and proven leader in the sport across the nation, has recruited the most high-performing group Kentucky has ever seen. In 2021, Hautau was named the SEC Men’s Diving Coach of the Year, capping off another spectacular season for Wildcat divers.

The 2022-23 season saw more success for Kentucky divers with Kyndal Knight, Sam Duncan and Abby Devereaux all qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Hautau coached Knight to her best ever collegiate season as the fifth-year set new personal bests in all three diving events while setting a new program record on the 3-meter (382.30). Knight also won a silver medal at the SEC Championships in platform, and was named an All-American on the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards at NCAAs.

In 2021-22  Hautau oversaw NCAA Championship qualifiers: Sam Duncan, Kyndal Knight, Rodrigo Romero and Morgan Southall. Kyndal Knight was named SEC Co-Diver of the Year after finaling on all three boards at the 2022 SEC Championships and claiming bronze in both the 1-meter and platform. Knight also went on to earn All-America Honorable Mention at the NCAA Championships in both the 3-meter and platform. Hautau also guided Danny Zhang to a bronze medal at the SEC Championships in the 3-meter springboard.

During the 2020-21 season, Hautau guided three athletes in Kyndal Knight, Sam Duncan, and Chase Lane to appearances at the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials in Indianapolis, Ind. Knight advanced to the semifinals on the 3-meter springboard, finishing 14th overall (497.75). Lane qualified for the 10-meter platform finals where he placed 11th (1085.50).

At the 2021 Southeastern Conference Championships, Hautau led two divers to a combined three medal performances, as well as four athletes to a total of eight top-8 finishes. Danny Zhang landed a spot on the All-SEC Second Team after earning silver on the 10-meter (403.20) and bronze on the 3-meter (415.05). Knight, who was named to the All-SEC Second Team, earned bronze on the 10-meter (275.65) as the women’s team won their first-ever conference title. Additionally, Duncan was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team.

Kentucky hosted the 2021 NCAA Zone C Diving Championships with five Wildcats competing in a combined 12 entries. From there, four athletes punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships where they competed on a combined nine events. At the 2021 NCAA Championships, three Wildcats earned All-American Honorable Mention: Lane (9th on the 1-meter, 354.25), Knight (11th on the 1-meter, 297.55), and Zhang (16th on the 10-meter, 329.50).

For his efforts on the boards and in the classroom, Chase Lane was also named the 2021 SEC Men’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well as an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient.

At the 2020 Southeastern Conference Championships, he led a pair of sophomores to a pair of gold medals, as Kyndal Knight clamed the SEC Championship title on the 3-meter springboard (353.75) and Danny Zhang earned the SEC Championship title on platform (422.10). Under his direction, he helped then-junior Chase Lane to his second-straight silver medal on platform (403.65) and Zhang to a silver medal on the 3-meter springboard (422.10).

Following the 2020 SEC Championships, Kentucky hosted the 2020 NCAA Zone C Diving Championships before it was cut short due to the COVID-19 public health threat. A remarkable seven divers earned a combined 18 entries at the competition. Zhang won the 3-meter springboard competition after 12 rounds, earning a mark of 815.15 before the meet was abruptly canceled. During that same season, both Knight and Zhang earned an SEC Diver of the Week honor apiece.

In the 2018-19 season at the 2019 SEC Championships, Hautau led then-sophomore Lane to a silver medal on platform (424.65), then-senior Courtney Clark to a silver medal on platform (392.90), and then-freshman Zhang to a bronze medal on the 3-meter springboard (439.50).

At the 2019 NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, four divers earned a combined eight entries to the 2019 NCAA Championships. There, Knight earned All-America Honorable Mention on the 3-meter springboard (322.55), while Zhang earned All-America Honorable Mention on the 3-meter springboard (361.70). Then-senior Seb Masterton rallied eighth place for an All-America First Team selection on platform (321.30) at the 2019 NCAA Championships.

The 2017-18 year boasted both freshman and upperclassman success. Chase Lane was named SEC Freshman Diver of the Year and named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, while Seb Masterson earned an All-SEC Second Team selection. Lane found his way in the program record book early, posting the third-best time on the platform with a 419.19 at the 2018 SEC Championships. Kevin Frebal also added depth to the program record book posting a 402.53 on the 3-meter at Louisville.

Masterson qualified for the championship final in all three disciplines at the 2018 SEC Championships, earning bronze in the 3-meter springboard (426.05). He also qualified into the NCAA Championships in all three categories. Lane earned his first bid to the NCAA Championship after placing seventh on platform at the 2018 NCAA Zone C Diving Championships.

The 2015-16 season saw four UK divers advance to the NCAA Championships, with two Wildcats earning All-America honors. Seb Masterton, Levi Lindsey, and Rebecca Hamperian each qualified to compete in all three disciplines at NCAAs, while first-year diver Courtney Clark advanced to the national meet in both the 1-meter and the platform.

Masterton earned an 11th place finish in the platform dive at the nation’s top meet to secure All-America honorable mention. Masterton had an extremely successful freshman campaign, taking the SEC silver medal in both the 3-meter and platform dives at the conference meet. Additionally, he posted the second-highest score in school history and broke the freshman record on the 3-meter springboard with 408.10 points.

Hamperian earned the third All-America distinction of her career and first honorable mention in 2016, after earning a spot in the 1-meter consolation final with her prelims performance of 296.85 points. She posted a consistent performance in the B-finals with 295.50 points to take third in the consolation final and 11th overall. Courtney Clark made her first national appearance in the event, finishing 48th with 199.75 points.

Hautau’s divers also saw great success in the 2014-15 season, with then-sophomore Hamperian being recognized as the 2015 SEC Female Diver of the Year. Hamperian earned All-America First Team honors that season after finishing fourth in the 1-meter and seventh in the platform dive at the 2015 NCAA Championships. Her score of 329.20 in the 1-meter at SECs earned her a silver-medal finish as well.

To cap off a tremendous career at Kentucky, senior Greg Ferrucci earned All-America honors for the seventh time in his career at the 2014 NCAA Championships with an 11th-place finish on platform. He also put together a 306.00 tally in the 1-meter springboard to finish 26th in the event overall.

In the 2012-13 season, three UK divers reached the 2013 NCAA Championships, which accounted for three quarters of the total UK athletes at the championships. The 2013-14 season holds even more promise as all three of those athletes will return including 2013 three-time first-team All-American Greg Ferrucci.

Ferrucci earned all 45 points at the NCAA Championships in 2013 for the UK men, helping the team earn a 22nd-place finish nationally, as he finished in fourth place in all three diving events. The All-American suffered a thumb injury mid season, but Hautau was able to get Ferrucci back into shape to make a strong postseason run. Ferrucci recorded school-record scores in each of the three disciplines in 2013, which he stills holds today.

Hautau also saw junior John Fox and sophomore Christa Cabot earn NCAA qualifying scores at the Zone C Diving Championships along with Ferrucci who won two of the events.

In the summer of 2012, nine of Hautau’s divers qualified for the 2012 AT&T National Championships where the women’s team finished in third place while the men finished in fifth. The UK diving team finished fourth overall combined (men and women), their best showing since Hautau’s arrival in the Bluegrass.

In the 2011-2012 NCAA season, there were three new additions on the women’s side and one new addition on the men’s side. Sophomore Greg Ferrucci had a great dual meet campaign, garnering four SEC Diver of the Week awards during the season. All seven of the UK divers that went to SEC Championships scored, and UK placed four in the men’s 3-meter finals for the first time in school history. Ferrucci picked up silver on 3-meter, bronze on 1-meter, and took seventh on platform to pace the UK men’s team as the highest point scorer at the SEC Championship between swimming and diving. He went on to make the NCAA Championship and received honorable mention All-American honors in all three events after finishing 11th on 1-meter, 10th on 3-meter, and 15th on Platform.

In the summer after the 2010-2011 season, Greg Ferruci, John Fox, and Lisa Faulkner qualified for the AT&T National Championships in Los Angeles where Fox finished 13th in the 1-meter, while Faulkner finished eigth in the 1-meter and 12th in the platform event. Ferrucci had an outstanding meet, finishing in third place on the 1-meter board and seventh on the 3-meter.

In the 2010-11 season, there were three new additions on the men’s side. Greg Ferrucci had a great freshman season, being named SEC diver of the week once during the year. He was named SEC Freshman of the Year and finished top eight in all three events at the SEC Championships. He qualified for the NCAA Championships but injured himself in the first event and was unable to finish the competition. Lisa Faulkner finished her second and final year with an outstanding SEC Championship, finishing top eight in the 3-meter and the platform events. She went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships where she made spectacular improvement and was an honorable mention All-American in the 1-meter (16th) and 3-meter events (15th) and an All-American on platform placing fifth.

In Hautau’s second season, junior transfer Lisa Faulkner reach top-seven scores in the all-time Kentucky women’s record books in the 1-meter, 3-meter, and platform dives. At the SEC Championships, Faulkner placed sixth on the 1-meter board, ninth in the platform event, and 14th in the 3-meter event. Freshman John Fox placed 15th in the 1-meter, 15th in the 3-meter event and ninth in the platform event. Faulkner went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time in her collegiate career. She finished in 28th in the 1-meter event, 31st in the 3-meter event, and 29th in the platform event.

In 2008-09, his first season with the Blue and White, Hautau inherited a depleted roster with just two divers in the program. Jessie Snowden earned second-team All-SEC honors after a second-place finish on the 1-meter board at the conference championships. Additionally, Hautau guided Justin Smith to top-16 finishes in all three events for the first time in his career. Smith also reached the finals of the SEC Championships for the first time in his career under Hautau.

Snowden enjoyed quite a bit of success under Hautau during his first season at the helm. The former SEC Freshman of the Year was named to the All-SEC Second Team in 2009 while also garnering an SEC Diver of the Week award.

Before arriving at Kentucky, Hautau was the diving coach at ACC power N.C. State. With the Wolfpack, Hautau led Kristin Davies to a 13th-place finish on the platform at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Davies earned All-America honorable mention honors for her 243.20 score in the event.

Prior to his time at N.C. State, Hautau spent 13 seasons as the head diving coach at Davidson College. At Davidson, Hautau coached Chris Wrobleski to a school record on the 1-meter during a dual meet with South Carolina. Additionally, Hautau guided Liz Nugent to back-to-back Zone Diving Championship appearances. Nugent claimed the 3-meter crown at the Southern States Championship in 2000 while setting a school record in the event.

Hautau began his career as the head diving coach at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he coached the women to three ACC titles while the men earned two crowns. He had two athletes earn ACC Diver of the Year awards under his tutelage, while also coaching All-ACC members in the 1992 and 1994 seasons.

In addition to his duties while at Davidson, Hautau coached for Fuel Diving, a local club diving program in Huntersville. He served as the event coordinator for the 2004 World Cup Trials and 2005 Speedo Junior National and U.S. Championships in Huntersville, which drew some of the nation’s top divers and Olympians.

Hautau has a B.A. in Communications from North Carolina. He is married to Jessica Hautau, a former Kentucky diver under Mike Lyden. She claimed the 3-meter SEC Championship in 2005 and was a three-time All-America honorable mention for the Wildcats. The couple has three daughters (Lily, Ava and Eliana) and two sons (Ethan and Luke).