Ron Navarra joined the YSU men's swimming and diving coach staff in September 2025.
A mainstay in the Beeghly Natatorium for many years as a club and high school coach, he was elevated to Coach Brad Smith's staff for the 2024-25.
The YSU divers benefited from his expertise during his first year on the deck.
Hanna Held had a very impressive showing in the women's three-meter diving event as she placed runner-up with a score of 270.05. She added a fourth-place performance in the women's one-meter dive, with a score of 257.85. Held advanced to the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships for her efforts during the year.
For the men, YSU had two different fourth-place finishers in one and three meters. Zachary Lao finished fourth in the men's three-meter diving event, scoring 308.10. Rafael Serey-Cormier placed fourth in the men's one-meter dive in his Horizon League Championships debut with a score of 283.00. He was also sixth in the three-meter while Lao was seventh in the one-meter.
Serey-Cormier broke the men's record in the three-meter event to open the 2025-26 season.
Navarra was part of the AFD coaching staff in 2016 as the Owner & Head Coach of American Flyers Diving Youngstown. Before coming to AFD, he spent 13 years as an assistant coach with Timberbrook Dive Club and the Youngstown Area Diving Academy.
In his time as a high school diving coach, Navarra has coached divers from 18 different Ohio and Pennsylvania schools, including: 49 State Championship Qualifiers, two State Champions, three State Runners-up, and has been voted the Northeast Aquatic Conference Diving Coach of the Year 10 times.
He also served as the Head Diving Coach for Boardman High School, Canfield High School, Crestview High School, Poland Seminary High School, and Warren G Harding High School.
He is Youngstown State University graduate with a degree in Human Performance and Exercise Science, Sports Management curriculum and has been coaching diving since 2002.
