Diving for Today
October 04, 2006 | Men's Swimming & Diving
When seven freshmen, two sophomores and no juniors or seniors are the extent of a team, it's fair to label it as young. But don't confuse youth with lack of talent, as this year's University of Wisconsin men's and women's diving team, despite averaging 18.1 years of age, is ready to'pardon the pun 'make a splash in 2006-07.
'This is a very young team, one that doesn't have much collegiate experience,' diving coach Tom Michael said. 'But a lot of the divers should make an impact this year.'
First, a look at the'ahem'old timers. On the men's side, Kelly Todd is the grizzled, second-year 'veteran.' In his freshman year, he qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving championships on all three boards en route to being named the team MVP.
Todd says there is so much talent on the diving team that scoring points at the Big Ten championships and qualifying for the NCAA Zone Diving championships are realistic goals.
'I will be disappointed if we don't achieve those goals,' Todd said. 'I don't want youth to be our crutch, our excuse. I think we have the talent to do well this year.'
Todd's counterpart is Lauren Morrison, a homegrown product out of Eau Claire who competed on all three boards at the 2006 Big Ten Championships. Regarding her being thrust into a leadership role so early in her career, Morrison indicated that she already was used to being a leader, having been team captain her senior year of high school.
In addition, she echoed Todd's sentiments. 'There's so much raw talent on this team. With a coach like Tom, there's no telling how well we can do. We have so much potential.'
Badger fans should be excited that they will see Todd and Morrison for the next three years, but what about the divers that will be around for the next four' Among their many accomplishments in high school, four earned All-America status (Tim Feyereisen, Al Morrison, Dan Smith and Jenny Hawkins), three were state champions (Feyereisen, Smith and Kiley Hearn) and three were named diver of the year (Feyereisen, Smith and Hearn).
The rest have plenty of credentials as well. Bryan Weinstein was an all-division and all-county selection, and Mackenzie Wood was given the 2006 U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award.
So, will the Badgers sneak up on a lot of teams that are brushing them off as a team in its rebuilding year'
'I don't think that at all,' Hawkins said. 'We have a great coach, and he's well known and respected. We have some great talent and great potential. After what Kelly and Lauren have accomplished, I don't think other teams will think that way."
The timing of the diving team emerging as a power is excellent. The points the squad is expected to generate in duals meets and the Big Ten championships will complement the swimming teams nicely, giving UW as a whole the boost it needs to take its game to the next level.
For example, 11 female swimmers combined to take ninth place at last year's NCAA championships, the highest finish in school history. A few divers sprinkled in the mix could really get things cooking for the Badgers.
'We are redirecting this program to bring it back into the national spotlight, ' Michael said. 'This group will help lead the way by their work ethic and determination for future years to come.'
