Hunter Shafer - Women's Swimming and Diving Coach - Grand Canyon University Athletics

Hunter Shafer

Title:
Assistant Coach, Diving
Email:
hunter.shafer@gcu.edu

Hunter Shafer is entering his fourth season at Grand Canyon, highlighted by his athletes winning both the men’s and women’s WAC Diver of the Year in the 2019-2020 season. Shafer also coached Sara Lamiero to an NCAA berth on platform. Lamiero was the first woman at GCU to qualify for an NCAA Division I event for swimming and diving. In addition, he was named the WAC Men’s Diving Coach of the year for 2020.

Grand Canyon introduced Hunter Shafer as the newest addition to the 2018-19 swimming and diving coaching staff as head diving coach. Shafer came to Phoenix after serving as the head diving coach at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena, Calif.

During his time in Pasadena, Shafer had the opportunity to coach and instruct numerous junior national finalists along with several national champions. Under his guidance, many of his athletes went on to compete collegiately and more, as a few of his junior divers qualified for the Senior National Championships and the USA Olympic Trials.

Prior to coaching at Rose Bowl Aquatics, Shafer held the position as the national coach for McCormick Divers in Long Beach, Calif. where he developed divers to the national and collegiate levels. Shafer also had the opportunity to coach for Guatemala during the 2006 Junior World Championships.

Shafer has served on many USA Diving committees, including serving as chair of the junior and senior rules committee.

As a student-athlete, Shafer excelled as a diver, qualifying for two NCAA Division I Championships in 1995 and 1996, while competing for Northern Arizona. Shafer currently holds the record on the 1-meter (six. 303.70), 1-meter (11, 533.90) and 3-meter (11, 573.15). He continued to compete after college, placing in the top 10 at Senior Nationals and earning a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Nationals.

Shafer left Rose Bowl Aquatics in the fall of 2014 to move to Scottsdale to be closer to family. His wife, Caroline, is a professional figure skating coach and they have a son, Lance, who is involved in short track speed skating.