David Fafara
Dave Fafara is in his 18th season as the Virginia men’s and women’s diving coach. Fafara gives the Cavaliers 25 years of collegiate and age-group coaching experience. In his time at Virginia, he has coached four Atlantic Coast Conference Divers of the Year and his divers have garnered a total of nine one-meter and three-meter ACC titles.
Last year, Cavalier divers Andrew Barber and Eric Kelley qualified for the NCAA Zone B Diving Regionals For Barber, it was the fourth time he qualified for the regional meet. In 2003-2004, Barber and teammate Pete Amstutz qualified for the Zone B meet and earned All-ACC honors with top three finishes at the ACC Championships. Amstutz was runner-up on the one-meter board and Barber finished third in the three-meter competition at ACCs.
In 2003, three of Fafara’s divers, Alison Sharp, Amstutz and Barber, qualified for the NCAA Zone B Diving Regionals. For Sharp, it marked the fourth consecutive year she qualified for the zone meet. It was the second consecutive year three of Fafara[apos]s divers qualified for zones.
In 1996, Fafara coached Laurie Wagner, the ACC Champion in both the one and three meter events. Wagner was also named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Team in 2002.
Prior to joining Mark Bernardino’s staff in 1989, Fafara spent three years as diving coach at West Virginia University. He had three Mountaineers advance to the NCAA Division I qualifying meet, and coached co-Eastern Divers of the Year in 1988. Fafara also taught and coached in the Santa Cruz (Calif.) City School System for five years and coached at Cabrillo Junior College from 1982-85.
The Chicago, Ill., native received his bachelor’s degree in physical education and health from North Park College in 1980. He was twice named Diver of the Year while at North Park. Fafara holds a master’s degree in counseling from West Virginia.
In addition to serving as UVa’s diving coach, Fafara directs Virginia Diving, an age-group program at UVa, has his own pool management company (Sun Sports), and owns a specialty coffee-roasting business (Shenandoah Joe’s). He and his wife, Kristi, reside in Charlottesville.