COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CSCAA/SMU) – SMU diver and NCAA Champion Luke Sitz has been named the 2026 College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Men's Diver of the Year, the association announced in a release on Tuesday.

Sitz is the first Mustang ever to earn the CSCAA honor, marking another program-first set by the sophomore. 

The Texas native put on a clinic at the 2026 NCAA DI Men's Swimming & Diving Championships, coming back to Dallas with a national championship and a silver medal. On 1-meter, the diver put up a score of 428.10 to win SMU's first national title in the event. Sitz secured a silver medal on 3-meter after breaking the school record twice in a single day. At the finals, he posted a mark of 495.30, the highest 3-meter score in SMU history and just 2.45 points from a first-place finish.

Showcasing his immense improvement since the NCAA Championships in 2025, his score on 3-meter was an astounding 139.45 points higher than the year prior. He earned First-Team All-America honors on both events. The last time a Mustang earned an NCAA title in diving was in 1990, when Scott Donie earned gold on 3-meter and on platform. At the 2025 NCAA DI Swimming & Diving Championships, Sitz finished seventh overall as a freshman, earning him a spot on the All-America First-Team.

The sophomore also found success at the conference level, nabbing SMU's first individual ACC Championship. On 1-meter, he threw down a then-school record of 429.75 to place first. After scoring a 420.60 on 3-meter, Sitz earned a bronze medal. Throughout the 2025-26 season, the All-American was awarded five ACC Diver of the Week honors, bringing his career total to 11. He currently ranks second in the ACC for the most career Diver of the Week wins.

Outside of collegiate competition, the diver has already made a name for himself. At the 2025 USA Diving Winter Nationals, Sitz posted three podium finishes: bronze on 3-meter, silver on 1-meter and silver on 3-meter synchro. While competing at the World University Games in 2025, he earned a bronze on 3-meter and a silver on 3-meter synchro. Breaking a 28-year drought, Sitz's podium finish was the first medal for Team UniUSA on 3-meter springboard since 1997. At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Diving Trials, he placed third on 3-meter and fourth on 3-meter synchro, just narrowly missing the team as a high schooler.