Colgate Swimming and Diving Head Coach Andy Waeger announced the addition of former Iowa All-American and USA Diving High Performance Squad member Deidre Freeman Huff to his staff.
A native of Grinnell, Iowa, Huff will work with the team’s divers while also assisting in all aspects of the Raider program. She begins her new position July 1.
“We are so excited to have a coach of Deidre’s caliber joining our program,” Waeger said. “She has both the experience as a student-athlete and coach to relate to our men and women and help bring them to the next level on the boards.”
Freeman Huff brings a wealth of experience to the Colgate program. During her collegiate career, she was a two-time All-American for the Hawkeyes after earning All-Big Ten Second Team accolades during her senior season. A four-time All-Big Ten Academic Team member, Freeman Huff still holds the Iowa school records for the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions.
A USA Diving National Team member since 2012, Huff has competed in individual and synchronized diving events on both the national and international stage. In addition to being a three-time national champion for USA Diving, Huff won a bronze medal in the 3-meter synchronized diving event at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
Huff also took part in the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, taking part in the 1-meter and 3-meter individual diving competitions. She is
training for the 2016 Olympic Trials with hopes of making the team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Huff is no stranger to the coaching world, having spent the past two seasons as a volunteer assistant diving coach at Iowa. She also spent three seasons as the head diving coach at Grinnell, where her parents, Will and Evelyn Freeman, are the head coaches of the Pioneers’ cross country and track & field programs. While at Grinnell, Huff coached multiple Midwest Conference champions, including Daniel Goldstein, who qualified for the NCAA Division III Nationals his sophomore year.
“I’m ecstatic to join the Colgate community!” Freeman Huff said. “I look forward to contributing to the student-athlete experience at such an academically rigorous institution that also values athletics. I’m so grateful that Colgate has provided me with the opportunity to coach a cohesive family of athletes in an environment that encourages the balance necessary for success in academics and athletics. My husband and I are so excited to call Hamilton and Colgate home.”