Blaire Anderson

Texas A&M Director of Swimming & Diving

Blaire Anderson was named the first Director of Texas A&M Swimming & Diving in May of 2024 after spending seven seasons on staff at Virginia, most recently as the associate head coach. She oversees both the men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs after Texas A&M combined the programs in April of 2024. 
 
Anderson arrived in Aggieland after helping guide one of the most dominant women’s swimming & diving programs in recent years to four consecutive team national titles, while helping the men’s team to five consecutive top-20 finishes at NCAA Championships. 
 
She joined the Virginia coaching staff in August 2017 as an assistant coach and was later promoted to associate head coach. She served as the women’s recruiting coordinator and primary coach for the upper middle distance training group. She aided in the recruitment of the No. 1 and No. 2 women’s recruiting classes, as well as the No. 3 and No. 9 men’s recruiting classes in the NCAA.
 
Anderson helped guide Virginia’s women’s team to the program’s first NCAA Championship in 2020-21. The Cavaliers went on to win the national team title in each of the next three seasons, taking down a number of NCAA and American records in the process. The Virginia women’s team claimed an ACC title in six of her seven seasons in Charlottesville, and never finished lower than second in the conference during her time there. 
 
Among the middle-distance standouts Anderson worked with through her time at Virginia, was U.S. Olympian Paige Madden, guiding her to four individual national titles while with the Cavaliers and ACC Female Athlete of the Year honors while also notching the top time in the 800 free relay in 2021. Madden also represented Team USA and Virginia at the 2023 Pan American Games where she claimed individual gold in the 400m and 800m free. 

On the international stage, Anderson has served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, and at the 2021 Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi. 
 
Anderson brought eight years of coaching experience at the club and college level to Virginia. From 2016-17, she served as the assistant swimming coach and women’s recruiting coordinator at Indiana. During her time with the Hoosiers, the program captured a 2017 Big Ten Conference Championship before concluding the year with a top-eight finish at NCAA Championships by both the men’s and women’s teams.
 
Prior to Indiana, Anderson spent a year as the assistant swimming coach and women’s recruiting coordinator for Dartmouth (2015-16) following a five-year stint (2010-15) as the head swim coach and aquatics director for Brenau.

With Brenau, Anderson was named the 2014 NAIA Swimming & Diving Women’s Coach of the Year, while earning the Appalachian Swimming Conference Women’s Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Anderson is a four-time American Swimming Coaches Association Coach of Excellence honoree (2011-14). In 2010-11, her first season at Brenau, she became the youngest head coach in the nation.

Natalie Hinds

2020 Swimming Olympian (USA)

Growing up in Midland, Texas, Natalie Hinds is a six-time international medalist specializing in sprint freestyle. In 2015, she claimed bronze in the historic 1-2-3 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving National Championships, the first time Black swimmers swept the podium. 

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Hinds won bronze in her vital role in the 4x100m freestyle relay. 

Hinds is a three-time Olympic Trials qualifier and a five-time NCAA Championships individual finalist.

Abel Sanchez

Arkansas Diving Coach

2000 Diving Olympian (Peru)

Abel Sánchez enters his fourth year as the Diving Coach at the University of Arkansas. Sánchez was a three-time All-American at the University of Michigan and a 2000 Summer Olympics participant.

Looking ahead to the 2023-2024 season, Sánchez said, “I’m excited for the new season. We have five freshmen joining the team along with returning Sophomore Malea Martinez. We have a young and talented squad. The future is theirs to gain, and I look forward to seeing their contributions to the team.”

Sánchez was selected to serve as the Diving Coach prior to the 2021-2022 season. “I would like to thank Neil Harper for this opportunity in leading the diving Razorbacks,” Sánchez said. “I look forward to working with Neil and the entire staff in creating a TEAM environment conducive to learning, having fun, and winning. I appreciate the entire athletic department for welcoming me and my family.”

Sánchez was the CEO/Head Diving Coach at Dive Calgary where he helped build and develop the Western Canadian Regional Training Center. During his time in Canada, Sánchez and his staff identified and developed divers, three of whom will compete on the Canadian National Team in the Junior Pan Am Games this year. Sánchez remarked that “Canada was great to me and my family and I am thankful for the opportunities and people we met in Calgary.”

Sánchez served as the head diving coach at North Carolina from 2013-2018. He was rewarded for his efforts by being named the 2017 ACC Men’s Diving Coach of the Year and the 2016 ACC Women’s Diving Coach of the Year. While at North Carolina, Sánchez completely transformed the school’s diving program, with a number of his divers qualifying for the NCAA tournament as well as the U.S. Diving Nationals during his tenure. Sánchez brought in some of the most talented recruiting classes in the program’s history, and the team’s record and honors serve to demonstrate this. A number of his divers notched All-American honors, which were firsts in many decades for the North Carolina Diving program.

Sánchez came to Chapel Hill from the University of New Mexico, where he had served as the diving coach 2004-2013.

At New Mexico, he was the 2011 and 2012 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year.  He coached six Mountain West Conference champions, two NCAA All-Americans, 37 MWC finalists, and three divers who earned the MWC Diver of the Year.

Genai Kerr

2004 Water Polo Olympian (USA)

Friday, May 1

7:30 - TBD

11:00 - Exhibit Hall Opens

2:15 - Swim & Dive Region Meetings

2:45 - Water Polo Region Meetings

5:00 - Welcome Reception @ Hard Count Sponsored by BSN (Presented by Traci Neely)

Saturday, May 2

General

Swimming

Diving

Water Polo

Elite Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Affiliates