Courtesy: Illinois State Athletics
NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head coach Caitlin Hamilton announced on Wednesday that Tori Lamp Wood has been named the Redbird diving coach entering the 2021-22 school year.
“I am thrilled to welcome Tori (Lamp Wood), her husband, Lucas, and daughters, Ellie Mae and Jocie, to the Redbird family,” Hamilton expressed. “Tori brings a wealth of diving knowledge and personal experience with her to Normal and has worked with divers at every level of the sport. Her personal diving background is impressive, no doubt. What stood out to me about Tori most was her commitment to building strong diving programs through personal connections and excellent foundations with her divers. She embodies all our core values of Family, Growth and Honesty to the highest levels and is going to make an immediate impact in our program. I cannot wait to see what heights Tori helps bring this program to.”
“I want to thank head coach Caitlin Hamilton, and the ISU Athletics Department for this incredible opportunity,” Wood shared. “I am thrilled to join the ISU swimming and diving program and the entire Redbird family. Caitlin, Sean (Sullivan) and I share the same vision for the program and what it takes to get there and I am very excited for the opportunity to help ISU make an impact in the state of Illinois, the Missouri Valley Conference and on a national and international level. I am eager to get started and see what our team can accomplish in and out of the pool.”
Former SEC champion diver and USA National Team member, Wood was introduced as the first full-time diving coach in Liberty swimming and diving history in 2017. She established the diving program from scratch, while coaching the first conference champion in school history and two finalists at the USA Summer Nationals. While competing at Tennessee, she won platform diving at the SEC Championships three times (2012-14). Additionally, she earned seven All-America awards, with a pair of NCAA national runner-up finishes. Wood was named SEC Diver of the Year in 2012 and 2013, while earning CSCAA National Diver of the Year honors as a junior.
She also competed for Team USA from 2008 through 2010 and 2012 through 2015. Highlights from her international career include placing 10th at World Championships in 2013 and participating in the FINA World Series in 2014. She was a Junior National Champion in 2008 before winning the title of 2009 High School National Champion.
Wood graduated with a bachelor’s degree in recreation sport management with a concentration in therapeutic recreation from Tennessee in May of 2014.
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