CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois head swimming and diving coach Jeana Kempe has announced the hiring of Tricia Grant as Head Diving Coach, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Grant joins the Fighting Illini after spending the last five seasons at Bowling Green State University (BGSU).

"I am incredibly excited that Tricia will be joining our staff," Kempe said. "She stuck out immensely in the interview process. Tricia is very driven and motivated; you can tell with the diving performances she led at Bowling Green. Her passion for diving has led her to success not only as an athlete, but coach as well. She coaches the athlete as whole with high expectations and ambitious goals, but she is also devoted and supporting of them." 

During her stint at BGSU, Grant coached divers to two Division I NCAA National Qualifications as well as five Mid-American Conference (MAC) titles in the one-meter dive and four MAC titles in the three-meter dive. She made program history during the 2021-22 as six of her divers finished in the top 16 at the MAC Championships in the three-meter dive. She also holds the program record for most NCAA Division I Zone qualifications (5). 

Prior to BGSU she was the diving coach of Oakland Legacy Diving at Oakland University. There she coached athletes to compete for USA Diving and earn college scholarships.

She also competed as a student athlete from 2011-15 for her alma matter, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. As a freshman she earned all-league honors at the Summit League Championships. By the time she was a sophomore she earned Summit League Diver of the Year and Diver of the Championships honors, as well as setting a new school record in the one-meter dive (310.70).

In her junior season, Oakland moved to the Horizon League where she became the first diver in Horizon League history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. She won seven league titles out of eight possible in her career.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Fighting Illini in their mission to compete on the national stage," Grant said. "I would like to especially thank head coach Rickey Perkins at BGSU for allowing me to be who I am and nurturing my success in the MAC. After an incredible run with my dedicated athletes at BGSU, I am looking forward to starting a new chapter in Illinois. I could tell from our first conversation that Coach Kempe shared and supported my vision for the Illinois diving team. I am excited to work alongside her to bring this prestigious academic institution closer to a Big Ten Conference Championship title."

Grant graduated from Oakland in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Science. She earned her Masters of Business Administration from BGSU in 2019.