Indiana Diving Power Will Have Major Influence on NCAA Men’s Championship Picture
With such a tight race expected at this year’s men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships among Cal, Texas, Indiana and Florida, divers could easily play a major role in determining the team champion. This year could be Indiana University’s turn to have its divers affect the final team standings.
Indiana University has had a strong diving program for decades. Led by seniors Carson Tyler and Quinn Henninger plus junior Maxwell Weinrich, the Hoosier divers are poised to make a strong showing at this year’s NCAAs, March 26-29, at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center in Seattle.
“I have seen our team develop and grow over the years,” says Tyler. “On the diving side, it is one of the closest teams I have been a part of. We push each other to be better. It is a really big team atmosphere.”
At last year’s NCAAs, IU captured six of the nine medals for a whopping 121 points—32% of its swimming and diving total that earned them a fourth-place team finish, just two points from third.
“It meant so much to contribute the way we did last year. Personally, it was really gratifying to see what kind of contribution I made. I was super happy with that.”
Tyler was selected as CSCAA Men’s Diver of the Year last season with his three-medal performance and helped Coach Drew Johansen earn Diving Coach of the Year for the third time (men’s in 2018 and last season; women’s in 2022).
Tyler won the NCAA platform title for the second year in a row and claimed the 3-meter title for the first time. He also finished third on 1-meter.
His platform score was 515.75—Indiana’s best-ever mark at an NCAA Championships. He also led two IU 1-2 finishes: with Weinrich (platform) earning his first-career national medal…and Henninger (3-meter), who ended up taking silver on both springboards.
CLOSE…AND COMPETITIVE
“It is a really interesting dynamic being competitors on the same team,” observes Tyler. “It is just something where you have to know when to keep it in the pool. When we are competing, we both know that it is game time. When it is after practice, we are friends—best friends. I think we manage it well, being competitive with each other while still keeping a good relationship.”
It is something that separates the Hoosiers from other programs.
“When I was on my recruiting trip, one thing that really separated IU from other schools was the team culture. It is more like a family how close everyone is. It really helps push and motivate each other. We always have good, friendly competition,” shares Henninger. “Getting to work together every day with a common goal is something I will always remember. Having a team that is so close—yet positively competitive—is one of the greatest strengths of this team.”
It leads to a day-by-day motivation, but also a learning session.
Says Tyler: “Quinn’s biggest strength is his power. He can jump higher than anyone in the NCAA. It is a really cool thing to watch and that allows him to do some of the hardest dives in the world.”
And Henninger: “One of the things that I love watching from Carson’s diving is him making some of the hardest dives in the world look gorgeous. He is one of the few people ever to get 10s at NCAAs, and it is really fun to watch.”
It all leads to a group of divers ready to unleash their power at the NCAA Championships—with a chance at helping the Hoosiers win the team title.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
But with all of that on the line, the Indiana divers are trying to keep the same mindset.
“Put one foot in front of the other…and try to improve every day,” Tyler says. “Ideally, I would like to improve every individual dive rather than think about an overall result or outcome. Focusing on that is my goal. It means a ton. It is really gratifying to be able to contribute. But even with a close race, our approach really doesn’t change. We focus on the things we can control.”
One of those things is the energy level.
“On the diving side, we were all building off each other watching each of us crush a dive. It helps on the swimming side. Right before finals, we watched Brendan Burns win from the outside lane right before walkouts. Swimming pushes us to (do that). We just want to work together to build off each other’s success,” Henninger says. “In practice, my goal is to get 1% better every day—and over the long term, lots of things are possible. I want to be in the moment and not think too far ahead.
“It is really exciting. We are going to try out best. Staying one dive at a time is the mindset. But we want to get each other pumped up, talking together, watching the swimming…the whole goal is to bring the other divers up to the top, too.”