Olympic Champion Coach Jane Figueiredo Takes Over as Tennessee Diving Coach
Two months after departing Great Britain’s diving program with a legacy of great accomplishment, Jane Figueiredo will take a new job as head diving coach at the University of Tennessee. Figueiredo joins the program following the recent retirement of Dave Parrington, who was with the Volunteers for 35 years.
Figueiredo returns to the college level after spending 11 years with Aquatics GB, a run highlighted by Tom Daley capturing four Olympic medals. She previously coached diving at the University of Houston for 24 years, and in 2024, she was honored with the International Olympic Committee’s Female Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award.
“I am honored to accept the role of Head Diving Coach at the University of Tennessee and so excited to follow in Dave Parrington’s legacy of excellence, tradition and family values,” Figueiredo said in an announcement from Tennessee. “Together with Matt Kredich and the amazing staff at Tennessee we’ll continue to build on the foundation already established in the diving program. Coaching at Tennessee will be one of growth, and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us. This is truly something very special. Thank you to the Tennessee family for this amazing opportunity.”
Under Figueiredo’s leadership, Daley and partner Matty Lee captured gold in the 10-meter synchro event at the Tokyo Olympics. Daley also earned individual 10-meter bronze at those Games, and he won medals in the synchro event with different partners in 2016 and 2024 as well. Another highlight from her British coaching days was Scarlett Mew Jensen winning the country’s first medal in women’s diving in 64 years alongside Yasmin Harper in the women’s 3-meter sychro.
Figueiredo also spent a decade coaching the Russian national diving team, helping Yulia Pakhalina win five Olympic medals between the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Games. Pakhalina and Vera Ilyina, both under Fugueiredo’s coaching, captured 10-meter synchro gold in 2000. As an athlete, Fugeiredo competed at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where she represented Portugal in the 3-meter event and placed 22nd.
She captured five All-America honors during her time diving with Houston before helping Houston divers win eight NCAA titles during her time as coach. She was named Women’s Diving Coach of the Year by the CSCAA in 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2010.
Kredich, the longtime head swim coach at Tennessee called Figueiredo “an absolute legend in the sport of diving. She’s well known and highly respected all over the world, and has consistently been successful at the highest levels of the sport. Jane is a force of nature – she has amazing energy, is relentlessly positive and has a very exciting vision for Tennessee Diving. We cannot wait to have her get started.”
Tennessee is coming off an impressive 2025 championship season, where both the women’s and men’s teams finished fifth at the NCAA Championships. The only Tennessee diver to score at the national level was Bennett Greene, who took 13th in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events.
