Head Diving Coach Karla Helder will be entering her 6th season with the Bulls this fall. Since joining the Swimming & Diving staff in 2004, Karla has guided the diving program to new heights. Current Buffalo divers Meili Carpenter and Mike McDowell have rewritten the record books in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events on their way to qualifying for the NCAA Division I National Champions the past 2 seasons. Meili is UB's first participant at the Women's Division I Championships while Mike become only the second in the history of the Men's program.
Prior to taking over the diving program at Buffalo, Karla spent 9 seasons at UC-Davis, and time at both Chico State and Clemson University. While at UC-Davis, she coached 4 Division II national champions to 4 separate titles and 36 All-Americans. She was also named PCSC Men's Diving Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2003, and the Women's Diving Coach of the Year award in 2001.
Karla dove collegiately for Chico State University and was a 2-time NCAA Division II National Champion on 3-meter. She was inducted into Chico State's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. She has also earned 30 National diving titles during her career, including several over the past 2 seasons at the Master's National Championships. In May of 2008, Karla traveled to Perth, Australia to compete at the World Master's Diving Championships. She won broke both the 1-meter and 3-meter world records in her age group (50-54) on her way to winning 2 gold medals. In 2006, she set the world record for the 45-49 age group on 1-meter.
