After more than three decades of serving as Georgia’s diving coach, Dan Laak is retiring from the bulldogs and joining USA Diving as the High Performance Director.
Laak describes this new life chapter as a bittersweet moment. “I have loved every minute of my time at Georgia. Retiring from my position is one of the most emotional things I have ever done,” said Laak. “But at the same time, I find myself energized and excited about this new role with USA Diving.”
Laak’s new position with USA Diving focuses on a combination of sports medicine, training, and research, ensuring that the athletes are performing at their highest levels.
USA Diving CEO, Lee Johnson, is excited to have Laak join the staff. “His experience, knowledge of the sport, and familiarity with our athletes and coaches will be invaluable while we prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and build a foundation for the future,” said Johnson.
Laak’s diving resume includes coaching for the United States at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and for Brazil at the 2016 Olympic Games. He also served as a coach for the U.S. at four FINA World Championships and most recently served as the U.S. team leader at the 2017 World Championships. At UGA, Laak was named national coach of the year three times and led his divers to five NCAA titles.
Laak will replace former High Performance Director, Kevin Ankrom. Vince Panzano will serve as interim High Performance Director until Laak takes over the role on August 1.