Rebecca Kraft ’10 returned to Nazareth as the Head Diving Coach in 2026-27, bringing more than 15 years of coaching experience and a deep connection to Nazareth Swimming & Diving.
A 2010 graduate of Nazareth, Kraft was a four-year member of the Golden Flyers Swimming & Diving program. Following her collegiate diving career, she continued her passion for the sport through coaching and spent the past 15 years as the Head Diving Coach at Canandaigua Academy. During her tenure, she coached both boys and girls teams and developed high-level divers in the Rochester area. Kraft also served as the Head Coach of the Canandaigua location for Upstate NY Diving.
Throughout her career, Kraft has directly coached athletes who have competed at the highest levels of high school diving in New York. Among her former divers is Alex Kenyon, whom Kraft coached as a member of the Canandaigua/Bloomfield team. Kenyon was a two-time New York State 1-meter champion, four-time NISCA All-American and 14-time AAU All-American. He finished his final three high school seasons undefeated, set Section V Class C and Class D records in the 1-meter event, and established multiple pool records throughout New York. Kenyon continued his diving career at the Division I level.
Kraft also played an important role in the development of former Golden Flyer diver Alexa Rizzo. A 2020 graduate of Canandaigua Academy, Rizzo competed for four years under Kraft. Rizzo finished seventh at the 2019 New York State Federation Championships and earned three consecutive top-three finishes at the Section V Class B Championships, including a runner-up finish in 2019.
Rizzo continued her diving career at Nazareth, where she became one of the top divers in program history. She qualified for the 2024 NCAA Division III Championships after placing second at the NCAA Regional Championships. At the NCAA Championships, Rizzo earned All-American status by placing third on 1-meter and also finished 21st on 3-meter.
Kraft's return to Nazareth represents another full-circle moment for the program and coaching staff. More than 15 years after graduating from NAZ, she returns to the place where her collegiate diving career began, bringing extensive experience developing champions and a proven commitment to the sport back to her alma mater.
As Head Diving Coach, Kraft will lead the Golden Flyers' diving program, working with student-athletes to build technical skill, confidence, consistency and competitive excellence while establishing a strong foundation for the future. She is excited to begin the next chapter of her coaching career at Nazareth and help build the next generation of Golden Flyer divers.
