Anita Rossing has been coaching the UH men's and women's diving programs for the past 18 years. Rossing draws upon her broad experience in competitive diving as well as 25 years of coaching as she works with the Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine. As an athlete, she competed in two Olympic Games, two World Championships and five European Championships while she was on the Swedish National Team for 12 consecutive years, 1977-1988.
In 2017-18, Rossing picked up her 11th and 12th conference Coach of the Year honors as she earned MPSF Men’s Diving and MPSF Women’s Diving Co-Coach of the Year honors along side her husband, head diving coach Mike Brown.
The 2018 season was another memorable campaign as Rossing helped guide junior Johan Sandell to a stellar season as he claimed MPSF Diver of the Year honors, and qualified for the NCAA Championships for a second consecutive season.
In 2017, three UH divers combined to win four MPSF gold medals, and two advanced to the NCAA Championships. Rainbow divers also recorded five top-10 scores in program history, including the No. 2 men’s platform score by then sophomore Sandell.
2016 was the end of an era for Hawaii Diving as three of the Rainbows’ greatest divers, Amund Gismerik, Aimee Harrison and Lauren Hall graduated. These three divers accounted for seven MPSF Conference Diver of the Year Awards, seven NCAA (CSCAA) All-America honors, and 18 MPSF Conference individual event championships.
The women’s diving team swept the 2015 MPSF Championships, bringing home both the program and the school’s first-ever MPSF title across any sport or gender. Additionally, men’s MPSF diver of the Year Amund Gismervik swept all three diving events. Gismervik and teammate Aimee Harrison wrapped up another thrilling season with All-American honorable mention statuses.
Together with diving coach Mike Brown, Rossing works in all aspects of the program including coaching, competitions, recruiting and facility care. In 2007, 2008 and 2011, Rossing guided the men’s divers as they swept the Conference USA titles. Rossing was honored with the Conference USA’s Men’s Diving Coach of the Year award in 2008 and 2011. The divers helped the Swimming and Diving team win their first ever Conference USA Men’s Team Championship.
The Rainbow Warriors made UH diving history with Magnus Frick placing 2nd two years in a row at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships in the 1-meter springboard. He also placed 3rd and 6th in the 3-meter events both years and teammate Mats Wiktorsson also became an All-American both years. These were the highest place finishes ever by a male swimmer or diver from the University of Hawaii.
Rossing, along with Brown, has been honored with at least one MPSF Conference Diving Coach of the Year Award every since 2013, with the Hawai‘i Divers winning most of the diving events those years.
Completing the 2013-14 season, Rossing coached Amund Gismervik to a thrilling 3rd-place platform finish at the Men’s NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships.
As an athlete Rossing captured 16 Swedish National Titles and won the World Age Group Championships on 3-meter. Other highlights include placing in the top-three at the Swedish Cup, Austria International, and Bolzano International meets. She placed fourth at the European Championships in 1983 and at the European Cup in 1986. Rossing was an Olympic finalist on the 3-meter springboard in Los Angeles in 1984, and represented Sweden again at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. In 2003, she captured three titles at the U.S. Masters Nationals, held in Honolulu.
Rossing attended the University of Texas where she was a TAIAW champion and had 4th and 5th place finishes at the AIAW Nationals. The UT swimming and diving team won their first two AIAW National Championship titles while Rossing was on the squad.
Rossing previously coached with the Longhorn Diving Club in Austin, Texas and Pacific Coast Diving in Victoria, Canada. She worked six years as the director for the Longhorn Diving Camp and two years as co-director for the Victoria Diving Camp. Rossing has also worked with the UH Aqua Camps.
Besides assisting the UH diving team, Rossing is Vice President of the Hawai‘i Diving Association and heads the Sunshine Diving Club. The club gives the children of O‘ahu a place to develop in diving. Sunshine Divers have attended USA Diving junior meets such as the Junior Regionals, Zone’s and Junior National Championships. Rossing’s joy is to assist divers in using their power more effectively, through proper alignment and technique, and to foster relaxed fluid movements. She pays particular attention to energy and behavior, and makes connections for higher performance.
Rossing earned a B.S. in Education degree from Texas in 1985. She enjoys swimming in the midst of dolphins in the ocean, seeing the beauty in this world, and being a continuous learner/explorer of life. She and husband, Mike Brown, live in Honolulu. Their daughter Rika graduated from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado in 2012, and currently resides in Honolulu.
Awards & Honors
2001 PCSC Men’s Co-Diving Coach of the Year
2007 C-USA Men’s Diving Coach of the Year
2008 C-USA Men’s Diving Coach of the Year
2013 MPSF Women’s Diving Co-Coach of the Year
2014 MPSF Men’s Diving Co-Coach of the Year
2014 MPSF Women’s Diving Co-Coach of the Year
2015 MPSF Women’s Diving Co-Coach of the Year
2016 MPSF Women’s Diving Co-Coach of the Year
2017 MPSF Women’s Diving Co-Coach of the Year
2017 MPSF Men’s Diving Co-Coach of the Year
2018 MPSF Women's Diving Co-Coach of the Year
2018 MPSF Men's Diving Co-Coach of the Year
