Dale Schultz

Veteran coach Dale Schultz was the final hire made to Jeff Poppell’s new staff at South Carolina. He was officially named diving coach on Thursday, May 13, 2021.

Schultz boasts more than 30 years of collegiate coaching experience at Arkansas (1989-2000, 2008-13, 2016-21), Florida (2014-16), and Purdue (1988-89). He has been awarded the SEC Diving Coach of the Year three times and has coached one NCAA Champion, six SEC Champions and 28 All-Americans.

At the 2021 NCAA Championships, Schultz led his daughter Brooke to a third-place finish and All-America honors in the 1-meter. She earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in the 3-meter after finishing 15^th.  At the NCAA Championships in 2019, Schultz finished second in the 3-meter and fourth in the 1-meter. She was also crowned SEC Champions in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events that season after being recognized as the SEC Female Diver of the Year for the second consecutive season. In 2018, Schultz coached three divers, two of which were freshmen, to NCAA All-American honors. Maha Amer placed 16th overall in the 3-meter earning Honorable Mention All-American honors while Brooke Schultz was the 3-meter NCAA Individual National Champion. Schultz also won both the 1-meter and 3-meter individual titles at the 2018 SEC Championships and was named SEC Female Diver of the Year as well as the 2018 SEC Freshman Female Diver of the Year. Coach Schultz was named the 2018 SEC Women’s Diving Coach of the Year for his efforts.

He coached his daughter to a silver medal in the 3-meter synchro at the 2017 World University Games, her second international competition before starting her freshman year at Arkansas. Under her father’s coaching, she was able to set pool, school and personal records along with earning seven SEC weekly honors in her first season as a Razorback.

Coach Schultz also guided Brooke, to a national title at the USA Diving Senior National Championships in the 3-meter synchro with partner Murphy Bromberg of Texas. The victory earned her a spot on another national stage, earning a bronze medal at the Bolzano FINA Grand Prix, one of six medals won by Team USA. She earned another bronze medal at the Madrid FINA Grand Prix in her final competition of the summer.

Prior to his stint at Arkansas, Schultz spent two years at Florida where he was named 2016 SEC Women’s Diving Coach of the Year after leading Florida female diver Kahlia Warner to SEC titles in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards, which had not been accomplished by a Gator in 30 years. Warner also was named the SEC Diver of the Year for her efforts and went on to earn two All-America honors after placing third (3-meter) and sixth (1-meter) off the springboards at the NCAA Championships. Schultz also helped Warner to All-American honors in 2015 on the 1-meter as well as male diver Zach Hernandez (Honorable Mention All-American on the platform.

From 2008-2013, Schultz spent his second stint as the diving coach at Arkansas where he worked alongside his new boss here in Columbia, Poppell. In 2012, freshman Kesha Naylor was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after breaking three Razorback school records. In 2008, Schultz guided Madison Palmer to honorable mention All-America honors in the 1-meter.

Schultz’ first tenure with the Razorbacks was from 1989-2000. He was named the SEC Male Diving Coach of the Year in 1993 and coached seven Arkansas student-athletes to a total of 18 All-America honors. He produced a pair of platform SEC champions, with P.J. Murphy taking the men’s title in both 1993 and 1994. In addition, his 1994 Razorback divers scored 38 points at the men’s NCAA Championship to place Arkansas 20th as a team.

“Dale has consistently produced some of the top divers in both the SEC and NCAA in recent years,” said Poppell. “At Florida, in 2016, he was named SEC Diving Coach of the Year after leading Kahlia Warner to SEC titles in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events earning her SEC Diver of the Year recognition. Since moving to Arkansas, he has accomplished the same honor again, being named the SEC Diving Coach of the Year for the third time in his career after guiding Brooke Schultz to an NCAA title in the 3-meter, SEC titles in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events, and two SEC Diver of the Year awards. The Gamecocks have always had a strong and storied diving tradition and I have no doubt that Dale will do a fantastic job of adding to that legacy in the years ahead.”

Prior to his time in Fayetteville, Schultz coached at Purdue (1988-89), Northern Michigan (1985-88), and Idaho (1984-85). With the Boilermakers, Schultz coached a Canadian Games gold medalist as well as several Big 10 diving finalists and NCAA top-20 finishers. At Northern Michigan, he had five NCAA Division II All-Americans and three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. In his lone season at Idaho, Schultz was able to produce an All-American.

Schultz is a 1984 graduate of Kansas State. Prior to the Wildcats, Schultz dove for the University of Maine from 1979-81. He later earned his master’s degree in physical education at Northern Michigan.

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