Natasha Chikina is the diving coach for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights swimming and diving program, bringing elite international experience and decades of high-level coaching to Piscataway. A two-time Olympian, Chikina joined the Rutgers staff after a distinguished 16-year tenure as head diving coach at Nebraska, where she consistently guided the Huskers to national prominence. During her time in Lincoln, Nebraska produced at least one All-American in each of her final six seasons, qualified divers to the NCAA Championships for eight consecutive years, and sent 41 athletes to NCAA Zone competitions. Most recently, she coached Nebraska divers at the U.S. Olympic Trials, further underscoring her reputation as one of the nation’s premier diving coaches.
Before Nebraska, Chikina served as assistant head coach at the U.S. Diving Regional Training Center and began her coaching career at the University of Southern California, working with future Olympians and Junior Olympic champions. Her coaching résumé is built upon a remarkable competitive career representing Kazakhstan at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where she finished ninth on the 10-meter platform in Sydney. She also competed at World Championships, Goodwill Games, World University Games, and FINA Grand Prix events, earning podium finishes internationally. At the collegiate level, Chikina was a standout diver at USC, earning NCAA All-America honors and Pac-10 championships. She holds degrees from USC and the Kazakh Institute of Physical Education and continues to shape elite divers at Rutgers alongside her husband, fellow diving coach Kris Hoffman, while raising their two daughters.
