Alik Sarkisian - Swimming & Diving Coach - Florida Atlantic University Athletics

Alik Sarkisian

Title:
Head Diving Coach
Email:
asarkisian@fau.edu
Phone:
847-845-9248

Alik Sarkisian was named head diving coach for Florida Atlantic prior to the 2022-23 season, arriving to FAU following a three-year stint as head diving coach at UNLV.

The 2024-25 season saw Sarkisian tabbed as ASUN Men's Diving Coach of the Year after the Owls swept the podium in both the 1m and 3m diving competitions as Isac Faxius walked away with the honor of ASUN Male Most Outstanding Diver. Prior to the championships, the Owls had earned ASUN Diver of the Week weekly honors five different times under Sarkisian's coaching during the regular season. Overall, the Owls left the 2024-25 championships with six medals won across the diving events. On the women's side, Sophia Clack won the inaugural AAC Freshman Diver of the Week award and won it again later in the season. At the 2025 American Athletic Conference Championships, team diving competition saw the Owls walk away with a fifth-place finish.

Under Sarkisian's coaching in 2023-24, Alicia Mora became the first Owl in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championships in consecutive seasons, this time on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards. She also earned a bronze medal on the 1-meter at the AAC Championships. On the men's side Brandon Shepherd continued his success in addition to freshman Trevor Kuhn, with the duo each totaling two ASUN Diver of the Week awards and splitting bronze medals, Kuhn on the 1-meter and Shepherd on the 3-meter.

In Sarkisian's first year with the Owls, he coached Alicia Mora to the 2023 NCAA Diving Championships in the 1-meter, the first Owl to do so since 2017. Competing in their first American Athletic Conference Championships, Mora earned the bronze medal on both the 1-meter and 3-meter dive. On the men's side, he coached Brandon Shepherd as the CCSA Diver of the Year, winning the gold medal on the 1-meter and 3-meter dive in the conference championships. Sarkisian also was named the CCSA Diving Coach of the Year for 2022-2023 season.

Sarkisian previously served 13 seasons as the head diving coach for Northwestern from 2006-19. In 2019, he coached his divers to a silver and bronze medal in the Big Ten 3-meter and platform dives as well as an NCAA 1-meter and 10-meter dive finalist. He was named both Big Ten Coach of the Year and the CSCAA National Coach of the Year in 2018. During this period, he also served as the coach for four Team USA Grand Prix teams, the coach for Team USA in the World University Games in 2013 and 2018, and coached Team USA in the 2015 World Series.

Prior to his time at Northwestern, Sarkisian was the director and head coach for the USA Diving Regional Training Center from 2001-06, where he sent athletes to the USA Diving Grand Prix, Pan-AM Games, and USA/Canada Challenge.

From 1998-2001, Sarkisian served as the Head Diving Coach for the Trojan Dive Club as well as assistant coach for USC. While there, he sent athletes to the USA Diving Olympic trials and served as a preparation consultant for the United States Olympic team.

In 1996, Sarkisian had the honor of serving as the head coach of the Armenian national team at the 1996 Summer Olympics, held in Atlanta.

Sarkisian also coached the Armenian national team from 1991-93.

Sarkisian graduated in 1980 from the USSR State University of Physical Education in Yerevan, Armenia. He then coached for the USSR national team from 1980-1992.