University of Massachusets Athletics
Mandy Hixon, Karen Upperco Earn Atlantic 10 Diving Honors
February 19, 2006 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 19, 2006
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Following the conclusion of the 2006 Atlantic 10 Swimming & Diving Championships on Saturday, UMass' Mandy Hixon was honored as the A-10 Women's Diving Coach of the Year and freshman Karen Upperco (Titusville, N.J.) was named the A-10 Women's Most Outstanding Diver. The men's and women's diving teams nearly swept the competition as Upperco won both the one-meter and three-meter dive events and sophomore R.J. Rappe won the one-meter and took second in the three-meter.
For Hixon, this is her second A-10 Diving Coach of the Year honor in her time at UMass. Upperco becomes the first diver since Kate Allery in 2002-03 to be named the league's Most Outstanding Diver. Angelique Rodriguez (1996-97) and Allison White (1993-94) were the only other UMass divers to earn the honor since the Minutewomen joined the A-10.
This has arguably been one of Hixon's best group of divers in her tenure at UMass. At the Championships which concluded yesterday, the women's squad earned 106 points, while the men's squad picked up 79 total points. The women's squad was especially impressive over the past four day's as Hixon's divers accounted for nearly 23 percent of UMass' total scoring. Heading into the final events, the divers ripped off 59 points on the three-meter board to pull UMass to a second-place tie before the last event of the meet, the 400-yard freestyle relay.
In her five seasons at UMass, Hixon has molded the diving squad into one of the top programs in the Northeast. Last season, both Rappe and junior Mary Jenkins earned berths to the NCAA Zone Diving Regional. This season, Upperco qualified for both the one-meter and three-meter events at the Regional, while Jenkins qualified for the one-meter. Rappe qualified for both events as well on the men's side.
At the Atlantic 10 Championships, UMass has now won five diving titles on the women's side and two on the men's. Upperco became the first women's diver since Kate Allery in 2003 to swim both events. Rappe became the first men's diver in UMass history last season to win an A-10 diving title and defended that one-meter championship this season. In 2003-04, Jenkins brought home gold on the one-meter board.
Upperco began her UMass career with a bang with six victories on the one-meter board and eight on the three-meter board during the regular season. She ranks second all-time on the three-meter dive and sixth all-time on the one-meter.
Hixon is in her fifth year on the UMass coaching staff after an eight-year stint as head men's and women's diving coach at Amherst (Mass.) College. At Amherst, Hixon was named New England Diving Coach of the Year six times and was the 1990 NCAA Diving Coach of the Year. Before Amherst College, Hixon worked at Williams (Mass.) College where she was head diving coach as well as assistant Professor of Physical Education, Coordinator of Aquatics, assistant Director of Intramurals and assistant coach of field hockey, lacrosse and tennis.
Hixon received a master's degree in sports management from UMass in 1991. She received her undergraduate degree in International Business and Marketing from Ohio State University in 1984, where she was a member of the school's diving team. As a Buckeye diver, Hixon was an All-American selection, a two-time Carrie Irish Finneran Award Recipient (school's MVP) and a four-year scholar athlete.
Hixon's international experience has also been extensive as she served as head diving coach of the Chile National team at the 1987 Pan-American Games and was a member of the United States International diving team between 1980-1984. Hixon also placed sixth at the 1984 Olympic Diving Trials and was the 1974 National Junior Olympic champion.
Upperco was a 2005 graduate of Hopewell Valley Central High School where she was a three-time All-American diver. She was a 10-time National Diving Qualifier with her highest finish being seventh on the three-meter board.
In 2005 she took sixth place on the three-meter board at the AAU Nationals and finished third at the New Jersey State Diving Championships.
2006 A-10 Diving Champions:
R.J. Rappe - 1-meter men's champion
Karen Upperco - 1-meter women's champion
Karen Upperco - 3-meter women's champion
Previous Diving Champs Under Mandy Hixon:
2004-05 R.J. Rappe wins 1-meter A-10 board - first diver in UMass men's history to win A-10 title
2003-04 Mary Jenkins on the 1-meter board
2002-03 Kate Allery on the 1-meter and 3-meter boards
2006 ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIPS AWARD WINNERS:
Women's Most Outstanding Performer: Jessica Witt (Richmond)
Women's Most Outstanding Rookie: Lauren Beaudreau (Richmond)
Women's Most Outstanding Diver: Karen Upperco (Massachusetts)
Women's Coach of the Year: Matt Barany (Richmond)
Women's Diving Coach of the Year: Mandy Hixon (Massachusetts)
Men's Most Outstanding Performer: David Zenk (George Washington)
Men's Most Outstanding Rookie: David Zenk (George Washington)
Men's Most Outstanding Diver: Karo Isajan (La Salle)
Men's Coach of the Year: Sean McNamee (St. Bonaventure)
Men's Diving Coach of the Year: Diane Maise (La Salle)
