The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros head swimming & diving coach Betsy Graham announced on May 1 the hiring of Jennifer Mangum as diving coach, who spent the last seven years at UT Permian Basin (UTPB), as head diving coach.
When UTPB started their diving program in 2017, they turned to Mangum who guided the program to great heights. As head diving coach, Mangum saw two First Team NCAA Division II All-Americans and eight Honorable Mention All-Americans over the program’s first seven years of competition.
In 2024, Mangum coached Matthew Lenzo to two Honorable Mention All-American honors after finishing ninth in the 1-meter and 10th in the 3-meter at the NCAA DII Championships.
In 2021, Mangum guided Garrett Martin to the NCAA DII Championships where he earned sixth in the 1-meter and ninth in the 3-meter after being named the first All-American in swimming and diving history in 2020. Mangum was named the 2021 New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference Diving Coach of the Year.
Prior to her time at UTPB, Mangum was the diving coach for both Midland High and Legacy High School for 24 years. While in Midland, Mangum coached two state champions in the 1-meter dive, Anna James in 2013 and Martin in 2017. Mangum won numerous coaching awards including the 2017 State 6A Boys Coach of the Meet, 2016 State 6A Coach of the Year, and the 2014 State Girls 6A Coach of the Year.
Prior to her time in Midland, Mangum was the diving coach for Lubbock ISD where she led the Lubbock High, Monterey, and Coronado high schools for six years. In 2018, the Texas Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association awarded Mangum with the Craig Nolder Diving Lifetime Award for her impact on diving in Texas.
Mangum also established the City of Midland Diving Team in 1993 and founded the Lubbock Diving Club in 1987.
Elected to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014, Mangum has won 15 Masters World Championships and over 125 national championships in her career.
Her most recent world championship came in 2023 as she won in the 1-meter, 3-meter, and platform dives.
Mangum looks to defend her golds from the 2023 Spring Nationals Championships in the 1-meter, 3-meter, platform, and synchronized dives at the 2024 meet in Columbus, Ohio from May 17-19.
Mangum was a certified safety certifier for USA Diving and has served as an official for the UIL State Meet for many years, and as a referee for the past seven years.
She dove collegiately at Texas Tech from 1983-86 where she crossed paths with Graham, who swam for the Red Raiders in 1986. While at Texas Tech, Mangum was a three-time NCAA Zone qualifier in the 1- and 3-meter dives and was named the most outstanding female diver for the 1985-86 season. Mangum graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 1987.
