University of Massachusets Athletics
Leading by Example: Andrew Bell’s Impact on the UMass Diving Program
March 24, 2025 | General, Men's Swimming & Diving
Leading by Example: Andrew Bell's Impact on the UMass Diving Program
By: Adam Greene
AMHERST, Mass. — After Coach Missy Bernosky took over as the UMass Men and Women’s Diving Coach in September 2023, the program has been as strong as ever. This resurgence was sparked by third-year diver Andrew Bell.
“He’s become our leader,” Coach Bernosky said. “He was kind of foisted into that role last year, even though there was a senior diver on the team; but he became the top diver.”
Andrew has emerged as the program’s best diver and recently became just the second in men’s program history to qualify for the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships.
“He's become our leader. He was kind of foisted into that role last year...but he' became the top diver”Missy Bernosky, Diving Coach
Surprisingly, Andrew didn’t grow up diving but found his niche in high school. Coming from an athletic family with siblings who competed in pole vault, soccer, and dance, his parents introduced him to gymnastics at a young age.
“If he’s going to be flipping around, let’s make sure he does it safely,” Andrew recalls his parents saying. Since he was constantly flipping around the house, they thought gymnastics would be the right fit.
Since he didn’t enter college with an extensive diving background, Coach Bernosky admitted, “I know that I wouldn’t have recruited him.” However, after years of relationship-building, she explained how “he made me look at [recruiting] in a different way.”
“He made me look at [recruiting] in a different way.”Missy Bernosky, Diving Coach
Over the 2024 summer before Andrew entered his Junior year, they attended Ripfest Diving together, a program based in Arcadia, Indiana. There, both coach and athlete gained valuable experience that helped them navigate the NCAA diving season, which is much more rigorous than the high school season as Andrew shared.
This experience was crucial in refining Andrew’s skill set and increasing the difficulty of his dives. “From November all the way through March, I’m practicing six days a week,” Andrew said. Establishing a consistent routine has been incredibly beneficial, and he emphasized the importance of consistency in his craft.
“When you’re competing, it doesn’t matter if someone did one dive really well in practice. What matters is if you can execute six dives consistently in competition.”
Trusting the process, even when practice becomes repetitive, has been key to Andrew’s success. He spends hours perfecting the same dives, ensuring they are competition-ready.
“We [dive] every 30 minutes, so you haven’t been on the board in a half hour” when you’re getting ready to dive, Andrew explained. “When you’re getting back on the board after that long, being the one who’s done the most and is the most consistent really stands out.”
“What matters is if you can execute six dives consistently in competition."Andrew Bell
Coach Bernosky echoed Andrew’s sentiments on consistency: “If we’re working on three to four dives, they need to be nearly identical,” she said. “We want them to be as close to the same as possible.”
This emphasis on consistency is just one part of Coach Bernosky’s entrance plan for the diving program. Her approach started with small details—like journaling and taking notes on each diver’s strengths and weaknesses. Over time, she identified aspects that needed gradual adjustments and others that required immediate change.
She reinforced many of the same principles Andrew mentioned about practice and routines, but also provided insight into coaching philosophy.
“They’re human beings too. When I’m able to connect with them outside of the pool, I can connect with them better inside the pool,” Coach Bernosky said. “As athletes, you can’t define yourself solely by your sport. You’re a person who loves to dive—not just a diver.”
Andrew has embraced this mindset, emerging not just as a leader for the diving team but also as a leader within the community. At the start of the season, he told Coach Bernosky he wanted to see all the other divers develop and qualify for the NCAA Zone Championships.
Coach Bernosky proudly shared that the team “took seven to the Atlantic 10 Championship and six to Zones.”
“As athletes, you can't define yourself solely by your sport. You're a person who loves to dive - not just a diver."Missy Bernosky, Diving Coach
Former divers and UMass alumni have reached out to express their gratitude for what Andrew has done for the program, making him even prouder to represent his team. “It’s super enjoyable; I love representing this school and my team. That’s a big honor I really appreciate.”
With the full support of his teammates, Andrew now enters his second NCAA Championship as one of the top divers in UMass history. As the program’s representative on the national stage, he doesn’t take that responsibility lightly.
“It’s good to be the role model who can show the freshmen that you need to put in the effort to reap the rewards and perform well.”
I love representing this school and my team. That's a big honor I really appreciate."Andrew Bell
Although he’s on track to graduate early, Andrew has left a lasting impact on the UMass Swimming and Diving program. His contributions have been instrumental in shaping the team into what it is today under Coach Bernosky’s leadership.
Despite heading to Federal Way, Washington, as the sole Minuteman competing, he carries the entire program with him. “He may not have a base of divers going with him,” Coach Bernosky said, “but he has a whole lot of people supporting him.”
Competition at the NCAA Swim & Dive Championships will begin on Thursday, March 27 with the one-meter preliminary round for Andrew, followed by the three-meter preliminary round on Friday, March 28.
