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Contact Information:
Mailing Address: Abel Sanchez, a 2000 Summer Olympics participant and three-time All-American at the University of Michigan, was named diving coach on Oct. 28, 2004. Sanchez, who made an immediate impact on the team in his first year, enters his third season at the helm. In his first year, Sanchez guided senior Becca Barras to the 2005 NCAA Championships where she became UNM's first female diving All-American. Under his tutelage, Barras achieved first-team all-MWC recognition while sophomore Carrie Quinn was honored on the second team. Barras was also named MWC Co-Diver of the Year and Diver of the Week seven times. Barras was the MWC Platform and 1-meter Springboard champion. She also earned the Senior Recognition award from the MWC. In the 2005-06 season, Sanchez lead Carrie Quinn to two Top 10 MWC performances. In the 2006-07 season Quinn competed in the finals on all three boards, and came just shy of qualifying for the NCAA Nationals. Head swim coach, Tracy Ljone, said, "Abel is the finest diving coach I have ever seen on the pool deck. It is amazing to see what he does with the divers and how he develops all of their talents. The ladies absolutely adore him because he truly cares about them and it is a joy to see them improve each season." A standout diver at Michigan, Sanchez was a three-time All-American and an Academic All-American. He placed in the top-10 at the NCAA Championships twice, placing as high as fourth. Sanchez was also a three-time All-Big Ten Conference honoree. He won two silver medals at the conference championships in his career and helped Michigan to four consecutive Big 10 titles and a national championship. After his collegiate career ended, Sanchez continued to dive, training with Olympic coach Kenny Armstrong, Jay Lerew and Olympian and world champion Janet Ely-Lagourgue. Sanchez went on to represent Peru, his father's home country, on 3-meter and platform at the 2000 Olympics games in Sydney. Sanchez qualified for the Olympics after claiming silver medals on 1-meter, 3-meter and platform at the South American Championships. He is an eight-time finalist at the U.S. Diving National, five-time finalist in the FINA Grand Prix circuit. Sanchez joined the Lobos after coaching the Mission Viejo Nadadores Diving Team. He was the meet director for the 2004 Speedo Cup National Diving Championships. Sanchez, a Holland, Michigan, native, is married to Leanne and the couple have two daughters, Bryze and Maizie.
Coaching Highlights |
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