Coming House: Abernethy Brings Expertise and Coronary heart Again to UC Davis

DAVIS, Calif. – It’s been a journey on the planet of collegiate diving for Laurel Abernethy, nothing in need of a full-circle expertise that appears to be coming round with Abernethy’s return to Davis following her time away from the Aggie pool.

It’s been a narrative of dedication, development, and the facility of coming again to a spot that looks like house.

Abernethy’s teaching journey took off in 2012 when she joined UC Davis as a volunteer assistant coach. In this function, she had the chance to work alongside Phil Tonne, who has served because the diving coach for the Aggies for 20 years.

“It feels great to welcome Laurel back to UC Davis! Having two coaches for our diving program gives our student-athletes twice the feedback and with her background as a head coach, Laurel has a unique understanding of what it takes to be successful in all aspects of collegiate athletics,” stated Head Coach Matt Macedo.

Tonne expressed his enthusiasm for Abernethy’s return to this system, saying, “Laurel is a great addition to the program. She brings a long history of coaching at many levels. As I get nearer to retirement, having Laurel on board will ensure the longevity of the program.”

For Abernethy, her early days at UC Davis instilled a way of belonging and camaraderie that she has carried together with her all through her profession.

After her time at UC Davis, Abernethy took on the function of head diving coach at Cal Poly in 2023.

While she cherished the expertise of being in cost, she additionally discovered useful classes in regards to the challenges that non-revenue sports activities usually face. And she discovered the last word lesson when the unlucky choice to chop Cal Poly’s swimming and diving applications was made by the athletic division.

It was a painful second for Abernethy—however one she discovered from, relatively than ran from.

“It was just awful,” Abernethy stated. “But it prepared me to fit into the greater picture of intercollegiate athletics and to be willing to compromise to help the whole athletic department function better.”

Abernethy’s new function as a full-time assistant again at UC Davis has her ready to take the teachings she discovered earlier than and translate them right into a significant impression on this system’s development and long-term success.

“I just like being involved in college swimming and diving,” Abernethy stated. “I have kids that swam as well as dove, so I understand the whole relationship between the two. And I just want to win, you know, and anything I can do to help that is great.”

Beyond outcomes, Abernethy hopes to depart a long-lasting impression on her student-athletes—and her return to UC Davis looks like a homecoming.

“It’s just so comfortable at Davis,” Abernethy stated. “It took me a minute to decide if this was what I wanted to do or not, but as soon as we decided, everything just kind of fell into place.”

Abernethy’s journey has taken her to totally different locations, however the sense of consolation and belonging she feels at UC Davis is unparalleled. The help from the athletes, teaching workers, and the complete division has made her transition again to campus a joyful and rewarding expertise.