Alik Sarkisian

Head Diving Coach

"COACH ALIK"

Alik Sarkisian was named Head Diving coach for Florida Atlantic University ahead of the 2022-23 season, bringing with him a wealth of experience and a proven record of success.

Prior to joining FAU, he spent three years as the head diving coach at UNLV.

Before his time at UNLV, Sarkisian served 13 seasons (2006–2019) as the head diving coach at Northwestern University in Chicago. Under his leadership, Northwestern divers achieved remarkable success, earning gold, silver, and bronze medals in the Big Ten 1-meter, 3-meter, and platform events.

He also coached the NCAA Division I 10-meter platform champion in both 2017 and 2018.

In recognition of his accomplishments, Sarkisian was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and CSCAA Coach of the Year in 2018.

Daphne Wils

Lead Age Group Dive Coach

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ADMIN: Diving

"COACH DAPHNE"

Daphne Wils comes from the Netherlands, via University of Hawaii and Penn State.

Career Accolades: 

• Winner of the L.D. MacNeill Award & Elizabeth McCoy Most Outstanding Athlete Award (2023).
• B1G Diver of the week (2023) after leading the Nittany Lions to victory against West Virginia and setting a pair of then-school and pool records in the 1 and 3 Meter dives. 
• Academic All-Big Ten (2024)

2022-23 (SR+):

• NCAA Championships (3/16-17): Competed in the 1 Meter (259.50) and 3 Meter (237.60) for 24th and 43rd place. 
• NCAA Diving Zones (3/6-8): Qualified for NCAAs, winning the 1 Meter by over 20 points (610.80) and scoring within the top 12 of the 3 Meter (560.80).
• B1G Championships (2/15-18): Became the first female diver to advance to finals from Penn State in the past decade with two A Final appearances in the 1 Meter and 3 Meter, placing 4th (311.45) and 7th (317.25).
• v Army (1/13): Broke four records – earning the school and pool record in both the 1-Meter and 3-Meter dives with scores of 330.90 and 356.55. 
• NC State Invitational (11/17-19): Won the 1 (315.80) and 3-Meter (334.60).

Personal:

• Daughter of Annemieke van Leeuwen and Rob Wils.
• Has two siblings, Berend (18) and Koen (23).
• Graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in sociology.
• Has competed with TeamNL since 2011 with coach Ramon de Meijer, placing third in the European Championships and eighth at World Championships for synchronized diving.
• Named the Dutch National Champion since 2018.

Daphne Wils

Lead Age Group Dive Coach:

ADMIN: Diving