#OlympicCanes: Ableman Named U.S. Assistant Coach

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami Hurricanes’ head diving coach Randy Ableman oining University of Miami alum Brittany Viola and the rest of the U.S. Olympic Diving Team as an assistant coach in London this summer.

Ableman, who coached the South African diving team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, served on the U.S. coaching staff for the 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney) and 2004 (Athens) Olympic Games.

The nine-time NCAA Diving Coach of the Year, who has coached 12 NCAA Champions during his 22 seasons at the helm of the Hurricanes’ program, marks his return to the U.S. staff alongside one of his most decorated graduates.

In her third attempt to make the Olympics, Viola won the women’s 10-meter platform at the U.S. Olympic Trials in late June. After finishing the event in second place during the 2004 trials and fourth in 2008, the Orlando, Fla. native won the event by close to 60 points to earn her first-ever spot on the Olympic roster. Under the direction of Coach Ableman, Viola won two NCAA championships and multiple Atlantic Coast Conference Championships as a student-athlete at the University of Miami.

Diving competition in London will span nearly the entirety of the Olympic schedule, beginning with the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard on July 29 and ending with the semif.inals and finals of the men’s 10-meter platform on August 11.