North Carolina State University Athletics
Diving Right In
11/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
As members of the NC State swimming and diving team, you would expect the swimmers to spend a ton of time in the pool. But for the men’s and women’s divers, they hone their craft in the air and in the gym with tumbling and weights before entering the water below. Their dedication in and out of the pool has certainly paid off, as all five divers who have competed so far this season have qualified for NCAA Diving Zones, an impressive accomlishment.
“All five of our kids this year have qualified for [NCAA Diving] Zones and that is a significant step and something that has probably never been done here,” diving head coach Mike Finneran remarked.
Two familiar faces on the men’s side headline both teams, as sophomores Austin Hampton and Alex Dambly continue to place scores in the top-10 of the ACC every meet. Hampton has the third-best time in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions, and Dambly is currently seventh in the 3-meter. Their head-to-head competition is certainly paying off in meets and at practice.
“It’s a very good situation to have someone else on the team like Alex [Dambly],” Hampton said. “He keeps me on my toes because I know if I don’t dive well then he can beat me or vice versa, and even if we both dive well we are competing against each other as well as the other teams. It keeps me training hard and wanting to do my best in practice and at every meet.”
Hampton just set the school record with a 366.80 in the 3-meter competition and Finneran knows that having a pair of caliber divers in Hampton and Dambly is something to be excited about.
“Austin and Alex are a formidable duo,” Finneran said. “They are becoming such a force that when we compete against other teams those teams know that they have to be on the top of their game to beat our kids.
“Austin has elevated himself and has made a significant improvement and his confidence level is up. Alex, additionally, has added a few more dives that are strong. He is making more of a commitment to it and is improving every week.”
Finneran doesn’t have the experience on the women’s squad that he enjoys on the men’s team, but his group of three newcomers and the emergence of junior Natalie Swisher have been a strength for the women’s team overall. Finneran will need to replace school record holder and ACC Champion Molly Culberson, who finished her four-year career last season, if the team is to compete on the national scene.
“The girls are making significant progress and its not easy to replace Molly,” Finneran said. “I had to go out and get a recruiting class of three new kids and it’s going to take time for them to get accustomed to being in college and adjusting to everything before I expect them to really show what they are capable of on the boards.”
The newcomers making a name for themselves are Emily Cheffins and Chelsea Ale, with both having top-10 ACC times including a current ranking of numbers one and two, respectively, in the ACC right now in the 1-meter boards. A third freshman, Kristin Davies is eligible to compete starting in January.
In addition to Cheffins and Ale, Swisher has made a significant improvement and ranks in the top-10 in the ACC in both events.
“I’m pleased with what we have and we have had some solid performances so far,” Finneran said of the women divers. “It is actually going to get a lot better. It is hard to replace an ACC champion, but the girls I have right now know I have high hopes for them and I know how much we can still improve. I wouldn’t say we can replace Molly, but in a year or two these girls can be up to the caliber of diver that Molly was for us.”
Hampton echoes his coaches sentiments on the women divers and with what the team can get from this diving group as a whole.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how well we will do at ACC’s as a group, and with all of the girls qualifying for zones already, that is great to go along with Alex and me,” Hampton said of his diving teammates. “Making zones was Natalie’s big goal this year and with the freshmen in the mix I think we can go far [in the postseason].”
“All five of our kids this year have qualified for [NCAA Diving] Zones and that is a significant step and something that has probably never been done here,” diving head coach Mike Finneran remarked.
Two familiar faces on the men’s side headline both teams, as sophomores Austin Hampton and Alex Dambly continue to place scores in the top-10 of the ACC every meet. Hampton has the third-best time in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions, and Dambly is currently seventh in the 3-meter. Their head-to-head competition is certainly paying off in meets and at practice.
“It’s a very good situation to have someone else on the team like Alex [Dambly],” Hampton said. “He keeps me on my toes because I know if I don’t dive well then he can beat me or vice versa, and even if we both dive well we are competing against each other as well as the other teams. It keeps me training hard and wanting to do my best in practice and at every meet.”
Hampton just set the school record with a 366.80 in the 3-meter competition and Finneran knows that having a pair of caliber divers in Hampton and Dambly is something to be excited about.
“Austin and Alex are a formidable duo,” Finneran said. “They are becoming such a force that when we compete against other teams those teams know that they have to be on the top of their game to beat our kids.
“Austin has elevated himself and has made a significant improvement and his confidence level is up. Alex, additionally, has added a few more dives that are strong. He is making more of a commitment to it and is improving every week.”
Finneran doesn’t have the experience on the women’s squad that he enjoys on the men’s team, but his group of three newcomers and the emergence of junior Natalie Swisher have been a strength for the women’s team overall. Finneran will need to replace school record holder and ACC Champion Molly Culberson, who finished her four-year career last season, if the team is to compete on the national scene.
“The girls are making significant progress and its not easy to replace Molly,” Finneran said. “I had to go out and get a recruiting class of three new kids and it’s going to take time for them to get accustomed to being in college and adjusting to everything before I expect them to really show what they are capable of on the boards.”
The newcomers making a name for themselves are Emily Cheffins and Chelsea Ale, with both having top-10 ACC times including a current ranking of numbers one and two, respectively, in the ACC right now in the 1-meter boards. A third freshman, Kristin Davies is eligible to compete starting in January.
In addition to Cheffins and Ale, Swisher has made a significant improvement and ranks in the top-10 in the ACC in both events.
“I’m pleased with what we have and we have had some solid performances so far,” Finneran said of the women divers. “It is actually going to get a lot better. It is hard to replace an ACC champion, but the girls I have right now know I have high hopes for them and I know how much we can still improve. I wouldn’t say we can replace Molly, but in a year or two these girls can be up to the caliber of diver that Molly was for us.”
Hampton echoes his coaches sentiments on the women divers and with what the team can get from this diving group as a whole.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how well we will do at ACC’s as a group, and with all of the girls qualifying for zones already, that is great to go along with Alex and me,” Hampton said of his diving teammates. “Making zones was Natalie’s big goal this year and with the freshmen in the mix I think we can go far [in the postseason].”
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