While Varsity Swimming has seen major improvements and great success, the Varsity Diving team is also making a big splash this season.

On Wednesday, February 20, the Varsity Diving team, led by Head Coach Heather Perrenoud and Co-captain Olivia King ’19, traveled to the Westminster School to compete in the Founder’s League. Meera Katsuri ’22, King, Eden Oostenink ’20, and Grace Helm ’21, placed first, second, third, and ninth, respectively. Katsuri and King went on to finish third and eighth at New England’s the following week.

The team’s performance is an improvement this season. Last year, the team finished 7-4, alternating between two-meet winning streaks and two-meet losing streaks. It finished third in last year’s Founder’s League Diving Championship and King, Oostenink, and Helm ranked fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-eighth, respectively, in the 2018 New England Diving Championship.

One reason for the team’s newfound success comes from the team’s newest addition, Katsuri, who found her rhythm early on in the season. She set a new school and pool record for six dives, beating her own previous school record, and finished first in Founder’s and third in New England’s. King said, “Meera has really pushed all of us to do the best and be the best that we possibly can.”

Coach Perrenound pushes the team during practices, so that the divers are prepared for meets and do their best. Regarding her record-breaking dive set during a meet against Choate on February 16, Katsuri said, “Ms. Perrenoud really pushed me to do [the front one and a half, full twist] in the meet.  It’s now become one of my best dives and it’s all thanks to my diving teammates and Coach Perrenoud.”

Divers report that practices are challenging, allowing them to encourage one another to strive for improvement and build a strong team spirit. Katsuri said “I always look forward to practicing at the end of the school day. My teammates and I have the best time diving while also blasting songs on the speaker. The positive energy of our team during practice definitely carries through to meets.”

Since swimmers and divers are all part of the same team, the captains recognized the need to form a connection between the two groups. King said, “A lot of the improvement that happened this season was due to us realizing how much [divers] affected the overall team’s score, and us wanting to continue to help the swim team win.”

The team is only graduating one senior, while the rest of the divers will return next year. With a record of 6-2, it is safe to say that the team has also become more consistent, ending the season on a six-meet winning streak.