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Gary Elder returns for his 17th overall season as the diving coach at Villanova University. Elder a graduate of Villanova begins his 8th year under Head Coach Rick Simpson. Elder returns all 4 of his divers from last year where he had 3 of the four qualify for Big East Championships, and are looking for even greater accomplishments this year. In 1988, Elder helped lead Wildcat diver Dave Echeverria to the finals of the NCAA Championships as well as a Big East title. Echeverria was also an outstanding performer for Elder and the diving team out of the pool, where he earned Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year honors, as well as receiving an NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship. This past year Echeverria was inducted into the Villanova Hall of Fame and was the first diver inducted into the Hall of Fame. Elder has also qualified over 18 divers for the NCAA zone championships. In 1993, during his second stint with the Wildcats, Elder helped lead both the men and women's swimming and diving teams to Big East Conference titles. Elder possesses extensive diving experience, as he spent 13 years diving at the high school and club levels. Coached by Jim Rightly for 8 years (Captain of the 1982 USA Cliff Diving Team in Acapulco) Elder started diving at the age of 6, he got into coaching at the age of 18 and was coaching at the Upper Main Line YMCA when he was first hired by Villanova head coach Ed Geisz in 1984. Elder has been with Villanova University for 25 years, currently holding the position of Enterprise IT Consultant in the University's Information Technology Department. He currently resides in Broomall with wife Peggy.
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