Russ Dekker - Head Diving Coach - Swimming and Diving Coaches

Russ Dekker

Title:
Head Diving Coach
Email:
rdekker@buffalo.edu
Phone:
716-645-2659

Russ Dekker enters his 11th season leading the Buffalo diving program in 2025-26.

The 2024-25 season was one to remember for Dekker and his divers. The Bulls earned numerous conference honors, with Dekker being named the MAC Diving Coach of the Year for the fifth consecutive season. Marialis Kwak was named the 2025 MAC Diver of the Year, winning the award for the third consecutive season under Dekker's guidance. Kwak also took first place in both the one-meter and three-meter dive, earning All-MAC First Team honors and winning two MAC gold medals. In total, the Bulls closed the season with five MAC medals and sent five divers to NCAA Zone Diving Championships.

In the 2023-24 season, Dekker was recognized for his excellence as a coach, earning his fourth consecutive MAC Diving Coach of the Year award. Marialis Kwak earned MAC Diver of the Year honors, winning both the three-meter and one-meter diving gold medals at MAC Championships, competing in the NCAA Diving Championships and earning First Team All-MAC honors. Freshman Sophie Meuwissen was also the fifth diver to earn MAC Freshman Diver of the Year honors under Dekker.

In 2023, Kwak shared the MAC Diver of the Year honors with UB's own Victoria Franz. Both Franz and Kwak earned First Team All-MAC honors and competed at the 2023 NCAA Diving Championships.

The 2021-22 campaign proved to be another great one for Dekker’s divers. Under Dekker, Franz won MAC Championships in both one-meter and three-meter diving, the 2022 MAC Diver of the Year award, and competed in the NCAA Diving Championships. Franz earned four MAC Athlete of the Week honors during the regular season and was placed on the All-MAC First Team. Kwak shined in her freshman campaign under Dekker, earning 2022 MAC Women’s Swimming & Diving Freshman of the Year honors. Kwak’s award marks the fourth consecutive year in which Dekker coached a MAC Freshman Diver of the Year, earning Dekker himself his second consecutive MAC Diving Coach of the Year award.

In the 2020-21 season, the Bulls dominated the Mid-American Conference Championships in the diving well. The UB divers earned a total of 109 points of the team’s championship total of 773 points helping the Bulls to their first even MAC title. For the third consecutive year, Dekker produced the MAC Freshman Diver of the Year in 2021. Louise Bradley took home the honor as fellow teammate Tori Franz won it in 2020. Jae Sarkis earned this honor in 2019. Dekker is the only MAC diving coach to have three freshmen divers earn this honor in back-to-back seasons, let alone three seasons.

At the 2021 MAC Championships, Dekker earned MAC Diving Coach of the Year honors. This was the second time he won the award as he did so in 2014 when he coached at Ohio University.

In March of 2020, three divers participated at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships where Journi Northorp finished sixth of 63 and narrowly missing NCAA Championship qualifications in the one-meter dive.

Prior to his arrival at UB, Dekker spent the last 11 years as the Head Diving Coach at Ohio University. While with the Bobcats, Dekker coached two MAC Champions, one MAC Diver of the Year and one Scholar Athlete of the Year. He also coached multiple MAC finalists and his divers earned 15 school records.

Previous to Ohio, Dekker completed three seasons as the men's and women's diving coach at the University of Wyoming. During his tenure in Laramie, the Cowboys and Cowgirls established themselves as one of the elite diving programs in the Mountain West Conference, highlighted by six divers qualifying for the 2004 NCAA Zone E Championships. Wyoming divers routinely were named to the all-conference team under Dekker's tutelage.

Dekker began his coaching career as the head diving coach at Ypsilanti High School from 1996-2001. At Ypsilanti, he coached two state champions and two state runner-ups. Dekker also served as an assistant coach for Legacy Diving from 2000-01, where he coached 11 Junior National qualifiers, three Senior National qualifiers, two Junior National finalists and a Junior National runner-up.

Dekker competed collegiately at Eastern Michigan University. He was selected the MAC Diver of the Year in 1995 and was a four-time NCAA Zone Championship qualifier and a three-time Academic All-MAC selection. He helped lead Eastern Michigan to three MAC team championships in the four years he competed. While attending Eastern Michigan, Dekker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education with a minor in communications.