Union College Athletics

Tara (Campbell) Canniff '07 finished the first year of her second stint at Union and her 10th season overall as the Union College men's and women's diving coach in 2024-25. Canniff previously served in the role from 2008-17 before returning to Alumni Gym Pool in 2024.

During her first nine years on the staff, Canniff developed many outstanding divers for the program, including Ian Drillinger '12, who earned CSCAA All-America honorable mention on both the one-meter and three-meter boards as the first men's diver to compete at the NCAA Championships during his senior year. Canniff also was named the UNYSCSA Diving Coach of the Year in 2015-16.

Caniff spent four years in the pool for Union from 2003-07, helping the women's team to a pair of Liberty League titles in her final two seasons as well as two NYSWCAA state championships.

She graduated from Union in 2007 with with a degree in anthropology and a minor in Chinese. After graduating from Union, she continued her studies at the College of Saint Rose, where she earned a master’s degree in Childhood Education in 2009.