April 12, 2006
TEMPE, Ariz. (www.thesundevils.com) -- For the fourth year in a row, Arizona State University diver Joona Puhakka (Helsinki, Finland) and Diving Coach Mark Bradshaw have earned Pac-10 Diver and Coach of the Year, respectively, announced Commissioner Tom Hansen. The awards are determined on a vote by the Pac-10 coaches.
Puhakka is a four-time national champion, including titles on the one-meter springboard in 2003 and 2005 and championships in the three-meter dive in 2004 and 2005. He also won the one-meter and three-meter springboards at the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships and Pac-10 Championships all four years he competed at ASU giving him a total of eight for each event during his career as a Sun Devil. By earning eight Pac-10 diving championships, Puhakka became the first diver to accomplish the feat in conference history. During his freshman campaign in 2003, Puhakka became the first Sun Devil diver to earn two individual conference titles in the same season. Also in 2003, Puhakka was the Pac-10 Diver Newcomer of the Year. The two-time Olympian for Finland was also named NCAA National Diver of the Year in 2005.
In his ninth year at ASU, Bradshaw helped coach the men's swimming and diving team to a 14th place finish at the NCAA Championships in Atlanta, Ga. Bradshaw has coached five All-Americans, three individual Pac-10 champions, one national champion, three Pac-10 Newcomers of the Year and two Pac-10 Divers of the Year.
-- Sun Devil Swimming and Diving --