2024, 2023 SEC Women’s Diving Coach of the Year
5 SEC Champions
3 SEC Silver Medalists
4 SEC Bronze Medalists
9 CSCAA All-American Honors
Drew Livingston, two-time SEC Women’s Diving Coach of the Year, is entering his fifth season as the leader of the LSU diving program.
In his fourth year with the Tigers, Livingston led Carson Paul to an SEC title on the platform and a top-four finish in the event at the NCAA Championships. Paul also received First Team SEC honors as he placed in the top eight in both the 1m and 3m at the SEC Championships.
The Tigers also earned points at the SEC Championships from sophomore transfer Travis Keith, who placed 16th on the platform. Keith and Paul both competed at the NCAA Zone D Diving Regional, with Paul advancing to the NCAA Championships in all three diving events.
In year three, Livingston commanded both Montserrat Gutierrez Lavenant and Carson Paul to excellent seasons, both worthy of being named SEC Divers of the Year.
Paul took gold at the SEC Championships in the 3m, posting a score of 438.30, while Lavenant took the title on the platform (327.80) for the second time in her career. At the NCAA Championships, Lavenant earned silver on the platform with a score of 375.40. She also finished in the top eight in the 1m. Paul recorded two top-16 finishes at NCAAs, coming in the 3m and the platform.
As of 2026, Lavenant still holds the school record on the platform.
In his second season at the helm of the LSU diving program, Livingston was named the SEC Women’s Diving Coach of the Year for the second straight season since becoming a Tiger. Livingston earned the honor after another strong showing from his squad’s six divers.
Montserrat Gutierrez Lavenant had another spectacular season under Livingston. She finished second at the NCAA Championships on platform and earned a podium placement for each discipline at the 2024 SEC Championships. Lavenant claimed her second-straight runner-up finish on platform with a score of 304.70.
At the SEC meet, she was the 2024 SEC Champion on three-meter springboard, scoring 359.70. She also took home the silver medal on platform and claimed bronze on one-meter springboard. Lavenant received the SEC Female Diver of the Meet recognition for her efforts at the SEC Championships.
In addition to Lavenant’s impressive year, Livingston coached three other divers to appearances at the national meet. Maggie Buckley, Helle Tuxen, and Carson Paul headed to their respective NCAA meets. Buckley earned one CSCAA All-American honor (Platform), while Paul earned two (three-meter platform) for finishing in the top 16 of their respective events. Tuxen competed on platform and three-meter springboard.
Paul, who had a strong showing at the national meet, also performed well at the SEC meet by claiming silver on three-meter and bronze on platform, while participating in the consolation final on the one-meter springboard.
Livingston, who led the Virginia diving program during the Cavaliers’ back-to-back Women’s NCAA titles, has been named the head diving coach at LSU, head swimming coach Rick Bishop announced on June 21, 2022.
In just his first season, Livingston led the Tigers in the diving well to an impressive finish at the NCAA and conference levels. At the 2023 SEC Championships, he coached Lavenant to an SEC Championship on platform and additionally had two divers finish with the bronze medal. Livingston also guided the diving team to one NCAA runner-up finish on platform. Lavenant shined throughout the season picking up the second-place finish nationally on top of the SEC title. She broke the school record on the tower with a score of 347.00.
With three medals in the diving well at SECs (1 gold, 2 bronze) accompanying the seven other gold medals, Livingston helped guide the women’s team to its highest finish at SECs since the 2014-15 season, claiming fifth place. Similarly, at NCAAs, Livingston and company produced a 19-spot jump from the 2022 season to place 13th – the highest for the LSU women in 30 seasons.
Livingston’s divers earned one first-team All-SEC honor (Gutierrez Lavenant) and two second-team All-SEC honors (Maggie Buckley, Chiara Pellacani) for their finishes at the SEC Championships. LSU divers also garnered CSCAA All-American for finishing in the top-8 at the NCAA Championships. Livingston sent two divers to the men’s championship and four to the women’s championships.
Livingston and Bishop finished the 2022-23 season with an 8-8 dual meet overall record between the men’s and women’s teams. On the men’s side, LSU won a dual meet in conference when the Tigers defeated South Carolina 157-143 in Columbia. The victory marked the first time the men’s squad won an SEC dual meet since the 2013-14 season when LSU took down Texas A&M.
Livingston spent the last four seasons in the same position at UVA and spearheaded the program’s unprecedented success. While in Charlottesville, he coached 8 divers to the NCAA Championships. Livingston saw six divers earn ten All-ACC honors at the ACC Championships by finishing in the top 8 of an event.
He led Virginia’s female divers in setting new school records for all three events.
Before arriving at UVA, Livingston served as the head diving coach at Princeton. Livingston oversaw three divers for the 2018 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, sending the program’s first male divers to the national meet since 1991. Over his two years, the diving program saw a 41 percent increase in points at the Ivy League Championships.
Prior to Princeton, Livingston worked as a graduate assistant in Baton Rouge under LSU’s legendary head coach Doug Shaffer. In his two-year stint, he assisted the program’s diving team to three of the six school records. Livingston’s time at LSU was highlighted by the 2015 season when the Tigers led the crowd in diving points and medals at the SEC Championships. The team advanced a diver to the conference final for each event.
Livingston began coaching at his undergraduate alma mater, Texas, as a volunteer assistant coach from 2013-14. He aided in practice planning and athlete development for both collegiate and postgraduate divers while coaching under NCAA Men’s Diving Coach of the Meet Matt Scoggin. The team captured 10 NCAA All-America honors, including two individual NCAA titles by Diver of the Meet Michael Hixon.
Coming from a strong collegiate career, Livingston is a two-time NCAA champion on the one-meter springboard and a 10-time All-American. He was named the 2012 NCAA Diver of the Year after capturing the national title on one meter, finishing second on three-meter and fourth on platform at the national meet. He set an NCAA record in the platform during his career, scoring 542.95 points at the 2009 Big 12 Championships.
In addition to his collegiate career, Livingston qualified for the USA Diving National Team nine times and is a two-time USA Diving National Champion.
Livingston graduated from LSU with his MBA in 2019. He earned his bachelor’s of science degree in sports management from the University of Texas in 2012 while serving as a swimming and diving team captain. Academically, he was named to the Big 12 Conference All-Academic first team and was a two-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
THE DREW LIVINGSTON FILE
Born: July 15, 1990
Spouse: Caroline Livingston
Children: Ada and Maeve (twins)
High School: The Woodlands HS
College: The University of Texas, LSU (MBA)