Since becoming Rensselaer's head men's and women's diving coach in 2003, Maria Coomaraswamy-Falkenstein has led the Engineers to unprecedented success with nearly a dozen Liberty League Diver of the Year awards and as many NCAA All-Americans. The teams have won 11 Liberty League Championships.
Coomaraswamy-Falkenstein made an immediate impact as she was named the Diving Coach of the Meet at the 2003 New York State Championship and Melissa Hershey was named the conference's Diver of the Year. Hershey was National All-America from 3-meters the following year as well as Honorable Mention twice (1-meter in 2004, 3-meters in 2005).
Coomaraswamy-Falkenstein was part of the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year for both the men and women in 2004-05 and captured the New York State Men's Diving Coach of the Meet in 2006 after Greg Derevianko won from 3-meters in record-setting fashion.
Derevianko, Bobby Monahon and Matthew Culen each qualified for the 2006 NCAA Championship - Rensselaer was the only school with more than two entrants - and brought home five All-America certificates. Derevianko, who would be inducted into the RPI Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015, garnered a pair, while Monohan (1) and Culen (2) both had Honorable Mention performances.
The school record holder from both boards upon graduating, Derevianko earned All-America from 1-meter again in 2007 and finished his career with a school record five certificates. He was also a CoSIDA National Academic All-America. Culen was a three-time participant at the national meet, earning three more Honorable Mention scores.
Among Rensselaer's other national qualifiers was Miguel Hummel, who earned All-America Honorable Mention in 2013, which was when he set the school records in all four dives. He remains the record holder in 1-meter, 6-dives (303.15), 3-meter, 6-dives (336.15), 1-meter, 11-dives (497.85) and 3-meter, 11-dives (556.40).
The women's record holders also dove under Coomaraswamy-Falkenstein and were national qualifiers. Maddie Miller, who holds the mark for 1-meter, 11-dives (485.10), earned All-America in 2016, while Jessica Kugelman set the school 
records in 1-meter, 6-dives (293.25), 3-meter, 6-dives (305.20) and 3-meter, 11-dives (489.50).
Kugelman's record for 1-meter, 6-dives came in 2019-20 when she was also named the Liberty League Diver of the Year, the fifth such honoree for a Coomaraswamy-Falkenstein student-athlete. Miller earned the honor in 2012-13, while Kelsey Manley (2008-09, 2009-10) and Grace Fitzgerald (2010-11) did so in consecutive seasons.
Derevianko (2003-04, 2006-07), Culen (2007-08, 2008-09) and Hummel (2010-11, 2012-13) each earned the award twice on the men's side. Combined with the women, the Engineers had at least one honoree in six consecutive years and swept the awards three times.
Coomaraswamy-Falkenstein and head men's and women's swimming coach Shannon O'Brien have helped Rensselaer to 11 Liberty League Championships with the men capturing 10, including each of the last five. They have been part of the Coaching Staff of the Year 11 times with five of those coming while mentoring the women's team.
Prior to joining the staff at Rensselaer, Coomaraswamy-Falkenstein led the diving programs at Union College for nine years, earning NYSWCAA Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2003.
In addition to coaching at the college level, she also runs her own club, Flip and Rip, teaching and mentoring high school, masters and senior divers. She has had several conference champions and All-Americans with one National Champion.
Coomaraswamy-Falkenstain graduated from the University of Maine, where she dove for four years and was a National All-American.
Updated November 2020
