Maria Polyakova and Eloise Belanger come from different parts of the world, but found an instant connection at UCLA.
The senior divers formed an instant bond as international students and elite athletes. They have spent the past four years making each other better. Both started diving at clubs at young ages.
The duo has dominated the Pac-12 Conference. Polyakova, from Moscow, was the Pac-12 Diver of the Year in 2017. Belanger, from Montreal, won the award last year and Polyakova won it again this season.
“Coming to UCLA, we were both pretty good and had a good foundation,” Polyakova said. “It is awesome. It is great having her by my side. We support each other.”
They both head to the NCAA diving zones this week and look to qualify for the NCAA Division I championships.
“It is kind of crazy. It doesn’t happen a lot to have two Pac-12 divers of the year on the same team at the same time,” Belanger said. “We help each other every single day. We have different strengths and we help each other on that note. We can help each other with those strengths and weaknesses. That is how we really feed off each other.”
Eloise Belanger. Photo Courtesy: Chuckarelei Studios
It was what Belanger hoped would happen when she came to UCLA.
“The idea of going to the U.S. was something I wanted to do. Diving gave me an opportunity to go to a great school in the U.S. I wanted to learn English as well. I spoke it a little bit, but immersion is the best way to learn.
I wanted to go as far out of my comfort zone as I could and as far away from Montreal,” Belanger said. “I also saw that Maria was coming to that school. She came a year before. If there was such a great diver there, this was a place that would be good for me. I knew she would help me keep my level.”
Polyakova won both springboard events at Pac-12. She won the 3-meter with a score of 335.70 and the 1-meter with a 335.70.
Maria Polyakova. Photo Courtesy: Richard Quinton
Belanger finished fourth (320.70) on 3-meter, fourth on 1-meter (306.75) and sixth on platform (231.70) at Pac-12s.
The UCLA divers represent four countries and have formed a tight-knit group, something Polyakova was hoping for when looking for schools in the United States.
“I was 17 years old when I came to UCLA. I really didn’t know how this whole college athletics situation worked, to be honest. I knew I wanted to come to American and dive year and get a great education. It is one of the best schools, and a lot of things came together. They really wanted me here. I felt wanted and appreciated,” she said. “It is kind of cool having a diving team with seven of us from all over the world. Getting really close with these people is amazing. Knowing in 20 years you could still have these opportunities to go to these countries and visit. It makes you feel connected to the entire world.”
Polyakova and Belanger are hoping to continue that connection to the entire world after their final NCAA championships, maybe even the Olympics.
“That is kind of crazy to think about,” Belanger said. “We have been doing international competitions the past couple of years, but we haven’t done the same meets in a long time. We have been waiting for that to happen again. The best thing about our partnership is that we have very big aspirations and expectations of ourselves. We want to reach the highest level in diving. If we do end up at the Olympics together one day, that will be absolutely amazing.”
It is something Polyakova has thought about as well.
“That would be incredible. We always talk about traveling to international meets and both being there and get pumped with some UCLA cheers,” she said.
But first, they are ready for some more UCLA cheers at NCAAs.
“I am not going to set specific goals. I do want to win an NCAA title, but I am not going to get too stuck on it. That doesn’t work for me. I need to think about the process, not the outcome,” Polyakova said. “Diving is the only sport I have ever done I my life. I am really lucky that it works.”
It works for Belanger as well and the rest of her team.
“I think it is great. It brings variety to our team. We all come from different backgrounds and good diving countries. We have different personalities, opinions, lifestyles. It is really awesome,” Belanger said. “Pac-12s didn’t go the way I wanted for myself. My goal is to make the A final on each board. You get into the final and give everything you have and see what happens.”
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Or would you consider him more of a ‘durable’ type.