David started diving at the age of 5 in Sylvania, Ohio. Though he played everything from golf, tennis, baseball, basketball, soccer, cross country, football, and lacrosse, he quickly fell in love with flipping, twisting, and flying through the air. With the help of coaches Ed Goodman and Buck Smith, David worked his way up the JO ranks and earned a spot on the Purdue Diving Team with Adam Soldati. As a Boilermaker, David was a 2 times NCAA Academic All American, 7 times All American, Big 10 Champion on 1m, 2 times Bronze Medalist at the 2009 World University Games (10m Synchronized and Team Award), and a 2 times USAD National Champion (10m Individual and Synchronized). His academic interests led him to a bachelor’s degree in health and human sciences, and after graduating from Purdue he took the MCAT and started working in a research laboratory at the University of Michigan to prepare for medical school. At the same time, he worked in a water stunt show at an amusement park where he took his first official high dives from 20m. After 15 years of diving, David discovered a newfound passion in the sport he always loved, and made the transition into professional cliff diving. He qualified for the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in 2012 and was named Rookie of the Year with 2 podium finishes in his first season. His first event win came the following year in Malcesine, Italy, diving from the picturesque Scaliger Castle into Lake Garda. David is consistently among the top 5 in the overall cliff diving rankings, and most recently brought home a silver medal from the 2019 FINA High Diving World Cup in Zhaoqing, China.
As much as he loves diving from the boards, David also enjoys coaching from the pool deck. He brings with him 15 years of coaching experience, is proficient in spotting and pulling belts, and specializes in strength training and cognitive skills development. David leads workshops on high performance and coping with fear, and loves sharing his experiences and knowledge with others to help them achieve their greatest potential, in and out of the water.
