Degree of Difficulty
Andrew Bell dives into an Olympic dream
Bell had already been considering UMass Amherst because of its top-ranked computer science program (his other passion), but when he learned about the 16-time Atlantic 10 champion swimming and diving team, that sealed the deal. He’s found camaraderie with his team that he credits for his growth as a diver. “Knowing that we have each other’s backs was really beneficial to me in improving my skills,” he says.
“Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
One surprising skill he learned from his teammates: Listen to the board. “You can hear from the noises the diving board makes if you’re doing it right or not,” says Bell. “You can already tell when you’re doing the first few jumps at the end of the board if it sounds wrong. Now I’ve been doing it so long that I can understand how to fix it in the air—like pull my legs up a little more or swing my arms a little differently.”
This skill has come in handy for Bell. He has been named the men’s Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Diving Performer for the past two years, and won two gold medals at the 2025 championships—setting a new record on the 3-meter board. Bell is the first UMass diver to qualify for the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships two years in a row (2024 and 2025), and he plans to train for the Olympics full time after graduating.
On top of training multiple times a week, Bell has a routine he likes to do before each competition dive. After talking to his coach, Missy Bernosky, he visualizes and models his moves beside the board.
“There are a few things I say when I’m about to start the dive that my coach, Andy [Brown], taught me,” says Bell. “‘Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.’” With a small smirk, he adds, “I also say, ‘I own the board,’ so that I feel confident.”
