Chris Hamilton completed his 21st season as the men's and women's diving coach in 2019-20.
In April of 2015, Hamilton was inducted into the Maine Hall of Fame for his accomplishments both on the diving board and as a coach.
2019-20: At Bates, Justin Sodokoff ’21 set new school and pool records and earned NCAA Zone cuts on both boards. Sodokoff ’21, Ray Neistat ’20 and Jonathan Hu ’23 competed at the Ivy League Championship. Sodokoff went on to the Zone A Championship and became the first Big Green diver to qualify for the NCAA Championship since 1999, making it on 3-meter. The championship was canceled due to COVID-19, but he was named CSCAA All-American on both boards. On the women's side, Isabella Lichen ’23, Maggie Pionzio ’20 and Cypress Toomey ’23 all competed at Ivies.
2018-19: Justin Sodokoff ’21 won on 1-meter against Yale and Penn and UConn, while he won on both boards at the Tate Ramsden Invite and set a new record on 3-meter. Sodokoff, Ray Neistat ’20 and AJ Krok ’19 competed at the Ivy League Championship and Krok received the Ron Keenhold Career High Point Diver at the end of the meet. On the women's team, Isabella Lichen ’23 was first on 1-meter against UNH and Bates, while Maggie Pionzio ’20 was first on both boards against UConn.
2016-17: AJ Krok ’19 competed in the A final on the 1-meter board at the Ivy League Championship, while Ray Neistat ’20 was in the B final. On 3-meter, Taylor Clough ’17 and Krok improved on their performances from prelims and earned a combined total of 50 points. This is the second time in two years that two Dartmouth divers finished in the top eight. On the women's side, Allison Green ’19, Maggie Pionzio ’20 and Allegra Codamon all competed on 1-meter.
2015-16: At Ivies, Brett Gillis ’16 placed earned a total of 48 points combined on 1- and 3-meter, while AJ Krok saw improvement from prelims on both boards. During her first trip to the Ivy Championship, Green ended up with 15 points after her performance on 1-meter. At the end of the meet, Gillis was named the Ron Keenhold Career High Point Diver for accumulating 189 points during his four years, the most of any senior diver at the meet. All three divers competed on both boards at the NCAA Zone Championship.
During his two decades at Dartmouth, Hamilton has had 31 divers qualify for the NCAA Zone Championship. In the all-record book, 31 of the 40 records (1- and 3-meter boards for men and women) are held by his divers. Also on his list of accomplishment: when Erica Serpico ’13 won the 2010 Ivy Championship on 1meter, she earned first team All-Ivy honors as the Big Green's first champion since 1999.
Hamilton has more than 20 years of coaching experience, having assisted for several years at the college level prior to Dartmouth. In New Haven, Connecticut, Hamilton coached at Albertus Magnus before moving on to Southern Connecticut State in 1996-97, where he coached six Division II All-America divers and one national champion. Hamilton was the head swimming and diving coach (1993-96) at Foran High School in Milford, Conn., and the girls' diving coach (1997) at Wilton (Conn.) High School.
Before coming to Dartmouth, Hamilton was an assistant diving coach at Brandon (Fla.) Swim and Tennis Club, where he worked with the U.S. diving and summer camp divers. One of the divers he worked with is the 2005 NCAA Champion and Olympic Diver, Chris Colwill of Georgia. The summers from 2004 to 2006 summers he has worked at the University of Texas Longhorn diving camp.
A 1995 graduate from Southern Connecticut State, Hamilton was an accomplished collegiate diver. In 1993, Hamilton was National Champion in the 1-meter and was named Division II "National Diver of the Year". He was a five time Division II All-America selection his final three years. He was named "New England Division I and II Diver of the Year" in 1993 and was also the New England Division I and II 3-meter champion in 1991 and 1993.
Hamilton has an undergraduate degree in human performance and earned a master's degree in education from New Haven in 1998. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in White River Junction, Vt. with their children Tyler, Kyle and Caroline.