Hawaii Hires NCAA Champ QiongJie Drew as Head Diving Coach
The University of Hawaii this week announced the hiring of QiongJie Drew as the program’s head diving coach.
Drew, who competed under her maiden name QiongJie Huang, was an eight-time All-American who won 1-meter springboard at the NCAA Championships in 2005 with a meet record score of 327.00 points. She placed third on 1-meter in 2006 and fourth on 3-meter in 2005.
“I am truly humbled and honored to once again be a part of the University of Hawai’i swimming and diving program,” said Drew, who goes by the nickname Ajie, in a team press release.
Drew was inducted to the UH Sports Circle of Honor in 2013. She won five Western Athletic Conference championships on springboard, was the WAC Diver of the Year in 2004 and 2006 and helped Hawaii win its first WAC team title in 2006.
“We are thrilled to bring Coach Ajie into our team,” head swim coach Steve Alnutt said. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the diving world ranging from the NCAA system, to international competition and elite American competition. Our swimming-and-diving team will greatly benefit from her attitude and passion for people and excellence. As an alumna and UH Circle of Honor member, Coach Ajie knows how to find success at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex and we’re proud to have her as the leader for our divers.”
Drew hails from Zhejiang in China. She retired and returned to compete at U.S. Olympic Trials in 2016.
He coaching career has spanned a decade. She was an assistant for USA Diving in Indianapolis in 2008, then the head coach at the University of Idaho in 2008-09. She relocated to Hawaii to coach at Honolulu’s Punahou School for a year, then spent 2015-16 coaching for Santa Clara Diving.