Ben Mitchell - Women's Swimming and Diving Coach - Seton Hall University Athletics

Ben Mitchell

Title:
Diving Coach
Email:
benjamin.mitchell@shu.edu

Ben Mitchell, who had a decorated career on the diving board with the Pirates, is in his fourth season as the Seton Hall men's & women's diving coach after being named to the position during the 2021-22 season. Mitchell previously coached at Delaware Valley High School in Milford Pennsylvania where he led the Warriors to three PIAA District 2 championships and the girls 11-dive Lackawanna County and Delaware Valley School records. Mitchell also coaches the Lakers diving team for the HUB Lakes summer league in Mountain Lakes, NJ.

The 2024-25 season saw a great conclusion to four graduating seniors and a freshman with a great future ahead of him. Freshman Nicholas Graham was runner up in both men's 1-meter and 3-meter diving events at the BIG EAST Championship. Nicholas’ combined individual scores in the events granted him the BIG EAST Most Outstanding Diver honor for the meet. In addition to Graham's phenomenal debut, Trevor Post ended his collegiate career with a third-place finish on the one-meter board at the BIG EAST Championships. At the meet's end, Mitchell was named 2025 BIG EAST Men's Diving Coach of the Year for their performances. Both Post and Graham also went on to compete at NCAA Diving Zones, with Graham become the first male diver to qualify for finals at Zones since Mitchell did back in 2013. On the women’s side senior Nikki Pawar posted a person best in the Big East Championship Prelims which got her in the A final for the first time to end her career at the hall.

The 2023-24 Seton Hall diving campaign produced first-place finishes in all dual meets. Mitchell had four NCAA Zone A qualifiers: Laura Stavila, Silvia Alessio, Quinn Murtha and Trevor Post. Murtha broke Mitchell’s 1-meter, six-dive record at Georgetown (336.83). Alessio won the midseason invitational at West Virginia in the 1-meter event taking the top spot over 63 other competitors and also took runner-up in the 3-meter. Alessio won the BIG EAST Championship in the 3-meter with a Seton Hall and BIG EAST record score of 337.50 and was runner-up in the 1-meter. Alessio was named BIG EAST Female Diver of the Year and Seton Hall University’s co-recipient for Female Senior Athlete of the Year.

In the 2022-2023 season under Mitchell's tutelage, Quinn Murtha won both the men's 1-meter and 3-meter dive at the BIG EAST Championship, and his teammate Trevor Post was runner-up and third place, respectively. Murtha became the first Seton Hall men's diver since Mitchell in 2015 to win a diving event at the BIG EAST Championship, and he was named BIG EAST Diver of the Year and Seton Hall Sophomore Male Athlete of the Year. For his effort in coaching the divers to this success, Mitchell was named 2023 BIG EAST Men's Diving Coach of the Year.

During his career from 2011-2015, Mitchell won four BIG EAST titles, claiming the top spot in the 1-meter and 3-meter dive in 2014 and 2015. Mitchell holds the school records in the 1-meter (12 Dives) and 3-meter (6 Dives and 12 Dives) and was named Seton Hall Sophomore, Junior and Senior Male Athlete of the Year. During his career, Mitchell also became a two-time USA Diving Masters National Champion and reached the Zone A finals in 3-meter 2013.