May 2009

In 2009-10, Christopher Hamilton begins his 11th season as Dartmouth’s head men’s and women’s diving coach.

While at Dartmouth, Hamilton has established one of the top diving programs in the Ivy League. In the past eight years he has had 14 different divers qualify for NCAA Zone Championships. Among the 14 divers who have qualified, there have been 18 Academic All-America honorable mention performances. Hamilton has also coached both men’s and women’s record holders (Danielle Fritze both 1- and 3-meter and Andrew Berry 1-meter). On Dartmouth’s all-time top 10 list, his divers hold 29 records.

Hamilton has more than 19 years of coaching experience, having assisted for many years at the college level prior to Dartmouth. In New Haven, Conn., Hamilton coached at Albertus Magnus before moving on to Southern Connecticut State in 1996-97, where he coached six Division II All-America divers and one national champion. Hamilton was the head swimming and diving coach (1993-96) at Foran High School in Milford, Conn., and the girls’ diving coach (1997) at Wilton (Conn.) High School.

Before coming to Dartmouth, Hamilton was an assistant diving coach at Brandon (Fla.) Swim and Tennis Club, where he worked with the U.S. diving and summer camp divers. One of the divers he worked with is the 2005 NCAA Champion, Chris Colwill of Georgia. The past three summers he has worked at the University of Texas Longhorn diving camp.

A 1995 graduate from Southern Connecticut State, Hamilton was an accomplished collegiate diver. He was named Division II national diver of the year in 1993 and was an All-America selection each of his last three years. In 1993, Hamilton was national champion in the 1-meter and was named Division II National Diver of the Year. He was named New England Division I and II Diver of the Year in 1993 and was also the New England Division I and II 3-meter champion in 1991 and 1993.

Hamilton has an undergraduate degree in human performance and earned a master’s degree in education from New Haven in 1998. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in White River Junction, Vt. with their children Tyler, Kyle and Caroline.