When senior diver Andrew Longcore signed up to dive for the men’s swimming and diving team his freshman year, he wasn’t sure what to expect.

“I was the only male diver,” Longcore said. “It was kind of weird not having a coach that I knew was going to be there and not really having any other teammates during practice.”

Since then, the Bombers have grown into a dominating team with Head Diving Coach Nate Brisley at the helm.

Brisley was named Ithaca College’s head diving coach in 2008. Before joining the Bombers, Brisley received numerous accolades as an athlete and coach including the NCAA Division II Men’s Diving Coach of the Year award while leading St. Cloud State University in 2008. When he heard that there was an opening at the college, he said the decision to apply was a “no-brainer.”

“Ithaca was at the very top of the list, and it was really due to how long [Head Men’s Swimming Coach Kevin Markwardt] had been there,” Brisley said. “The fact that Kevin had a large amount of success in his time here, it made the decision to apply very easy.”

The Bombers went through a transitional phase that lasted for a few years during the mid-2000s. In 2005, only one diver was on the team. In 2006, the number of divers doubled. By 2008, five divers were on the squad.

When Brisley arrived on campus in the fall of 2008, he said the team was primed for success.

“My estimate of the diving team was that they had a lot of talent, a great work ethic, but they didn’t necessarily have the direction that a college team needs,” he said.

Brisley immediately set goals for the team and every individual athlete. However, Brisley said the impetus to succeed ultimately falls on the divers’ shoulders.

“The coaching only really provides so much, and then it’s up to the athletes to really take ownership of what they’re doing,” he said. “That’s something that they’ve done increasingly well.”

Longcore said Brisley, who is 29 years old, is easy to relate to because of his recent diving experience in college.

“He’s worked with a lot of college students, and he’s not too far removed,” Longcore said. “We really just see both sides of him — the kid at heart that he is and then his really professional coaching side. That really does play a big factor in his success as a coach.”

Brisley’s arrival provided some long overdue stability to the men’s diving program. During Longcore’s four-year tenure on the diving team, he has seen three different diving coaches come through the program. Longcore said each previous diving coach brought something different to the table but neither found a happy medium.

“It’s nice having Nate there because he has the combination of all of the knowledge,” he said. “He’s the perfect blend of having him push you, but also having him encourage you. We have a legitimate team that will keep getting stronger and stronger. Having Nate there year after year will bolster our stability.”

Markwardt said Brisley has forced the divers to learn new dives, allowing the squad to tap into its full potential.

“He’s laid all that groundwork, and we’re starting to see it slowly coming along,” he said. “The fact that he has established the program in terms of what’s expected is very clear. He challenges the athletes, and it’s coming around.”

With a full season under his belt, Brisley is hoping for bigger and better things for the diving team in the near future.

“The other teams are going to have to watch out because Ithaca divers are definitely starting to come together as a group,” Longcore said. “I don’t see anything stopping us. It’s just going to keep building and getting stronger.”

Rochester vs. Ithaca - 1/23/2010