position Head Diving Coach
Email sochor.7@osu.edu
Office Phone 292-5052
Justin Sochor is in his ninth season as head coach of the Ohio State men’s and women’s diving team. He was named to his position in 2013, becoming just the fourth coach in the program’s 82-year history.
Sochor has been named the Big Ten Men’s Diving Coach of the Year twice: in 2016 and in 2020. He has coached an NCAA champion – Colin Zeng in 2016 on platform – and three Big Ten Diver or co-Divers of the Year (Zeng in 2016, Lyle Yost in 2020 and Joey Canova in 2021).
Sochor’s five Big Ten Conference champion divers include:
His divers have combined for 14 first-team All-American honors, including five honors in 2021 (Jake Fielding on platform; Jacob Siler on 3-meter and platform; and Lyle Yost on 1-meter and platform.)
Prior to becoming a Buckeye, Sochor was named Junior National Coach of the Year four times by USA Diving and the US Olympic Committee while earning seven Junior and Senior national team titles.
With 22 National Champions, his divers have won gold in every single age group including the Senior Nationals.
Sochor was named Team USA head coach for the Pan-American Games, FINA Grand Prix, FINA World Series and the FINA World Championships.
Sochor has passion, dedication, innovation and knowledge of diving that is clear to all who meet him and is known for leading his divers to national and international success.
A former varsity diver and Cleveland State University graduate with a degree in psychology, Sochor founded and built his first diving club in 1996. He developed his club into one of the largest diving clubs in the Midwest, bringing nearly 100 new divers into the sport each year. As a Viking, Sochor was a four-time collegiate conference champion and was named the 1995 Athlete of the Year. From 1992-1997, Sochor was a professional high diver/entertainer at Sea World.
Sochor lives in Powell, Ohio with his wife, Katie, son, Mason and daughter, Sydney.
