MSU senior diver Carly Weiden couldn’t be more thrilled about qualifying for the 2001 U.S. Outdoor National Championships.
“It’s very exciting,” said Weiden, of Kentwood, Mich. “I worked all summer for this and practiced twice a week (because of a hurt shoulder).”
At the sectional qualifying meet last weekend in Bloomington, Ind., Weiden earned two top finishes. She won the 1-meter dive with a final score of 475.85 points and finished third on the 3-meter board with a score of 434.80. A total of 43 divers competed in the sectional qualifying meet.
The championships will be held Aug. 7-12 at the International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Junior Summer Mitchell, of Troy, had already qualified for the championships, placing in the top eight at both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards in March at the 2001 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
“It puts a national prominence in women’s diving,” said diving coach John Narcy, referring to the two divers’ feats. This is the first time two MSU divers have qualified for the championships.
“(Weiden and Mitchell) worked extremely hard and sacrificed a lot. We practiced in the summer, which is something a lot of other schools don’t do and it also makes a difference.”
Narcy also said with both divers being from Michigan, it adds extra excitement to their success.
“My parents, my little brother and my boyfriend cheered me on during the qualifying meet, and they were all so excited that they get to go to Florida,” Weiden said.
The upcoming championships will also mark the first time synchronized diving will be included.
“We’ve been watching some videos on (synchronized diving) in order to prepare for it,” Narcy said. “We have to perform five dives as close together as possible.”
The divers still have three weeks to prepare for nationals and as soon as Tuesday, they’ll be back on the boards. They will continue practicing two or three times a week and will practice on dry land and water, Narcy said. For dry land practice, the spring board will be above a cushion.
Narcy is very optimistic about next season and definitely wants more from his athletes.
“We are steadily moving up and want to keep going up, no place but up,” Narcy said. “We’re beating girls that used to beat us. Now that we’ve reached the nationals, we want to win the nationals.”
