Rutgers Divers Compete With Team USA
Jul 03 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Katerina Hoffman and Bailee Sturgill Gain International Experience Competing with Team USA
This weekend will be a celebration of America throughout the country, as the United States Celebrates the Semiquincentennial as the 250th anniversary of the United States as July 4 marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Within the Rutgers diving program, two student-athletes have a deep connection to representing the United States, with Katerina Hoffman and Bailee Sturgill heavily involved with competing for Team USA.
Katerina Hoffman was born into a diving family. Her mother, Natasha Chikina, is a two-time Olympian diver, competing for Kazakhstan at the 1996 Atlanta Games and the 2000 Sydney Games. Her father, Kris Hoffman, was an NCAA qualifier as a diver at the University of Kansas. Both have been long-time diving coaches, and after 16 years as the diving coach at Nebraska, Chikina arrived at RU in the summer of 2021 as the Scarlet Knights’ diving coach. She has made a great impact for sustained growth of the Rutgers’ diving program. Under her guidance, Rutgers has produced an All-American diver in five of the last six years, with six All-American seasons in total. Her divers have earned 19 placements on Rutgers' all-time top-10 lists.
Under her mother’s guidance, Hoffman has blossomed into a highly successful diver. She has had the opportunity to compete for Team USA in international competitions numerous times for over seven years, dating back to 2019 in the Junior nationals and Pan American Championships. She has competed at many USA Diving national events, including the USA Diving Championships, Canada Cup and World Aquatics World Cup.
As a Scarlet Knight, Hoffman has made a big impact over her two seasons on campus, where she is a two-time Galbraith Award Winner and was named Rutgers’ Diver of the Year this past season. She has qualified for the NCAA Championships on all three boards (1M, 3M and Platform) in both of her two seasons, and this past march, she earned her first All-American honors, placing 14th nationally on 3M to be named a Second Team All-American. She also won the 1M and 3M dive at NCAA Zone Championships and holds a top-ten mark in RU program history on all three boards.
I feel unbelievably honored and blessed to have the opportunity to represent and compete for my country. Ever since I was a kid I was determined to be on the USA National team. I reached my goal at the age of 13 and am striving to continue it. It has opened my eyes to so many possibilities and new experiences, along with creating bonds that will last a lifetime with other divers from around the world. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but my goal for the future is to give it my all and see how far God will take me with my dream of one day getting the honor to represent my country at the Olympics, and represent it well.Katerina Hoffman
Fellow Scarlet Knight Bailee Sturgill has also been a prominent member of the Team USA diving squad. Sturgill also boasts over seven years of experience with Team USA, is a four-time national medalist, three-time Grand Prix finalist, two-time Canada Cup medalist and a World Championships finalist. The Noblesville, Ind. native has made a strong impression on the boards through her sophomore season as a Scarlet Knight. As a freshman, the Rutgers’ Newcomer of the Year and a Galbrath Award winner was named Big Ten All-Freshman, taking the NCAA Zone Platform title and qualifying for NCAA across all three boards. This year, the Big Ten Preseason Diver to watch qualified again on all three boards, and she holds a top-ten mark in RU program history on all three boards.
Having the opportunity to compete for Team USA has been one of the greatest honors of my diving career. Being able to wear the Stars and Stripes is something I will never take for granted. All the opportunities I have been given are incredibly meaningful to me. With the experiences I have had, it has helped me to grow both in and out of the pool. Two of my favorite experiences that I will always cherish would be the 2025 Canada Cup in Gatineau and the 2025 World Championships in Singapore. I was able to create so many memories that I will carry with me forever while also learning how to become a better competitor. My time on Team USA has taught me so much about resilience and representation, and I hope to have more opportunities to compete for Team USA in the future.Bailee Sturgill
The duo has grown close within the Team USA system, including competing together in many international synchronized events. Together, the duo have medaled together multiple times, most recently earning silver at the USA Diving Winter Nationals in the synchronized platform event, also earning bronze last year in synchronized platform at the USA Diving Championships and teaming to win the synchronized 3M title at the USA Diving Winter Nationals.
Looking forward, the duo is poised for even greater success as they become upperclassmen at Rutgers. With multiple collegiate seasons ahead of them training together under the watchful eye of Natasha Chikina, Hoffman and Sturgill are poised to make a splash not just ‘On the Banks’, but on the world stage for Team USA.
