Oakland University Athletics

Diving Coach Will Brenner enters his third season at Oakland University, working alongside Head Coach Mitch Alters to continue the Golden Grizzlies’ success on the diving board.

In the 2025-26 season, Oakland swept the men’s and women’s Horizon League team championships. Senior Victoria Sanders took home third in both the one-meter and three-meter events on the women’s side, while senior Liam James finished third in a competitive men’s one-meter field. Sanders, James, and sophomore Elizabeth Woolcott later represented the Golden Grizzlies at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships at Eastern Michigan, competing across the one- and three-meter events.

Brenner’s first season at Oakland, 2024-25, was highlighted by another Horizon League Championship sweep and several standout performances. Graduate student Ellie Chalifoux won both the one-meter and three-meter events and was named the Horizon League Women’s Diver of the Meet. Sanders also reached the podium, finishing second in the one-meter dive and third in the three-meter.

As a result, Brenner was named the 2025 Horizon League Women’s Diving Coach of the Year. Chalifoux, Sanders, and sophomore Edin De Hooghe went on to compete in the 2025 NCAA Zone C Diving Championships in Columbus, Ohio.

Before joining Oakland, Brenner coached at the Wolverine Club Diving in Ann Arbor and served as the head diving coach at Lincoln High School, Ann Arbor Skyline, and Ann Arbor Pioneer from 2022 to 2024. He guided multiple athletes to state-qualifying performances, including a state runner-up finish in 2024.

Brenner previously worked with the University of Iowa diving program from 2021-22 as the Dive Club Assistant Coach and Varsity Assistant Dive Coach. He competed for Iowa from 2015 to 2019 as a four-year varsity diver, team captain, and multiple-time NCAA qualifier. He also holds the school record in the one-meter dive with 368.00 points in 2016 before the Hawkeyes discontinued the program in 2021.

Brenner began his diving career at Huron High School, where he was a three-time All-American and a four-time All-State and All-District selection. He also set 11 school records and pool records during his high school career.

A native of Ypsilanti, Mich., Brenner brings a distinguished career as both a diver and a coach to the Golden Grizzlies program.