Ron Kontura, 2022 & 2023 D3 Diving Coach of the Year, Out at Kenyon

Ron Kontura, the head coach of Kenyon’s men’s and women’s diving teams, is no longer with the program. Kenyon’s student newspaper the Kenyon Collegian first broke the news last week, and Kontura is no longer listed on the team’s website.

Last season, Kenyon produced the NCAA Division III Champion on both 1-meter and 3-meter springboards, junior Israel Zavaleta. Mason Fishell, then a senior, placed 8th in both events as well for All-America honors, and the school’s men’s divers combined for 65 points as the Kenyon men placed 2nd behind Emory.

“Please be assured that any changes to our coaching staff come after much deliberation and careful consideration for the success of the program,” said Kenyon’s Director of Athletics, Fitness and Recreation Jill McCartney.

Kontura, who also served as the school’s aquatics director, led Kenyon since the summer of 2017. Prior to that, he spent part of a year as the head coach of The Ohio State University Diving Club.

His tenure has been marked with success. In his first season at Kenyon, Ryder Sammons was named NCAC Diver of the Year – the first such award for the men’s team since 1997.

Kontura previously led Army-West Point’s diving program from 2006 through 2014, had three seasons at Cal, led the Mission Viejo Nadadores Diving program, and coached four Division III All-Americans at Allegheney College beginning in 1994-1995.

Stan Randall has been named the program’s interim diving coach. In the offseason, Randall retired from college coaching after 21 years as the diving coach at Trinity University, where he coached three NCAA Division III Champions and 15 All-American divers. He was named the 2010 CSCAA NCAA Division III Diving Coach of the Year.

Outside of collegiate diving, Randall coached several US National Diving Team members and is the co-founder of AAU Diving.