UMBC

Printer Friendly  Email This Page
News Release

Former UMBC Diver Jon Gdowik and Kirsty Carrihill-Knoll Named Co-Head Diving Coaches

9/10/2007

Former Retriever Jon Gdowik will serve as a co-head coach of the UMBC diving squad beginning with the 2007-08 season.

Kirsty Carrihill-Knoll will join the UMBC diving team for the 2007-2008 season as a co-head coach.

BALTIMORE—Former UMBC diver Jon Gdowik and current UMBC psychology research assistant Kirsty Carrihill-Knoll have been hired as co-head coaches of the UMBC diving team, swimming and diving head coach Chad Cradock announced recently.

“Together as the new UMBC diving coaches, Kirsty and Jon will bring a new attitude to our program,” Cradock said.

Gdowik, a member of the UMBC swimming and diving team from 2000-2004, has coached age group diving for UMBC’s USA diving counterpart, the Retriever Diving Club as well as the Padonia Park and West Howard diving teams.

While at UMBC, Gdowik competed in the 1 and 3-meter diving events, placing second in the 3-meter and 1-meter at the 2004 America East Swimming and Diving Championships.  Gdowik also set new school records on both boards during his senior season in addition to qualifying for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships.

“We are really lucky to have Jon as a part of our program,” said Cradock.  “As an athlete
he always gave his all for UMBC swimming and diving.  He is a loyal person who cares deeply for our program.”

The West Chester, Pa., native graduated from UMBC in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in geography, as well as a minor in sociology and a certificate in cartography.

Carrihill-Knoll, a native of Harare, Zimbabwe served as part of the UMBC diving staff during Gdowik’s senior season (2003-2004) and helped propel him to two new records in the 1 and 3-meter diving events and an NCAA Zone Diving Championship qualification.

Carrihill-Knoll currently serves as a research assistant in the UMBC psychology department and has had her research published and presented her findings at numerous conferences.

Prior to coming to UMBC, Carrihill-Knoll served as the head diving coach at Georgia Southern University from 2001-2003 and has also coached at Arundel Girls High School in Harare, Zimbabwe and Leon County and Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Fla.

“Kirsty has a lot of experience in the diving world which will help our athletes tremendously,” Cradock said.  “She has a lot of energy and will help bring our program to a new level.”

Carrihill attended Florida State University from 1997-2000 where she was a member of the diving team, representing FSU at the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA Championships and has also competed for Zimbabwean national teams.

In 1996 and 1997 she was crowned the Zimbabwean Women’s Open National Champion and qualified for the Zimbabwe Olympic team in 1996 and 2000.

In addition, Carrihill-Knoll is also an active member of the USA and Baltimore Field Hockey Association after serving as head coach of the Arundel Girls High School and St. John’s College field hockey teams in Zimbabwe.

Carrihill-Knoll graduated from Florida State in 2000 with a major in psychology and minor in business and earned her master’s of science in kinesiology from Georgia Southern in 2003.