When North Carolina diving coach Kevin Lawrence retired in 2012 after accepting an assignment with the Peace Corps, New Mexico coach Abel Sanchez applied for the job — only to fall short of receiving the position ultimately filled by N.C. State’s Jenny Johansen.
Nearly a year later, Johansen’s husband Drew, the diving coach at Duke, accepted a job at Indiana, leading to her early exit that again left a coaching void in UNC’s diving program.
After a national search, swimming coach Rich DeSelm and the UNC athletic department turned to a familiar candidate to fill the position — and for Sanchez, the second time applying for the position proved to be the charm.
Sanchez became the diving team’s third head coach of the past three years, and DeSelm said he hopes the hiring of the New Mexico coach will bring a sense of much-needed stability to the program.
“Obviously we want some stability, and now with Abel coming in we’re just looking forward to his experience, knowledge of the sport and passion for helping young divers improve,” he said.
“We hope for him to establish this as his program and be here for a long time while recruiting well and helping us win some championships.”
Rising sophomore diver Ozzie Moyer said similar to last year with Johansen, he and his teammates have each received phone calls from a new coach.
While it may be too early to say, Moyer said he already anticipates the team will make an easy transition between coaches based on the brief conversation he had with Sanchez.
“When we talked on the phone about a week ago, he seemed really nice — like an easy guy to get to know, with a personality that will be on point with what our team needs,” Moyer said.
