Rams Revved Up After Opening Day

HOUSTON – As she exited the well, she heard the announcer read off her score.

Maggie Di Scipio's hand went directly to her mouth – the international sign language for a person in disbelief. The final attempt of her six-dive set in Wednesday's preliminary round of the 1-meter springboard at the Mountain West Swimming and Diving Championships was the walk-on at her very best.

At that point.

By the time the finals session was over at the CRWC Natatorium on the University of Houston campus, the diver had bettered herself in finishing seventh in the event, the first spark in a day filled of them for Colorado State. When the Rams exited en masse they had produced a school record in one relay, the third-best time in another.

For a team which historically has progressed as the meet extends under coach Christopher Woodard, everything felt like a good omen.

"I can't speak for the rest of the team, but nothing fires me up like watching the 200-yard medley relay just start if off like that," senior captain Anika Johnson said. "I think it's pretty cool we're starting off on a good foot. Woody always says Saturday is our best day, so I feel building into that with this start is pretty cool."

Di Scipio kicked it all off in the morning. The sophomore was sensational in the preliminary session of her first conference championship, capping her six-dive set with a 54.00 which drove her to tears of joy to vault her into fifth after starting the round in sixth. Her 279.85 was not only a personal best, but a total which ranked eighth in program history on the board.

She heard a 54.00 announced, about twice as good as the Falls Church, Virg., product needed to reach the 'A' finals. There was an 8.0, a 7.0 and a list of 7.5s in the middle for her inward 1 ½ somersault pike. Then came the tears, ones of joy.

"This morning when I did my dive and I got the 54, I knew I had made the 'A' final, and that was such a big deal to me because I didn't make the conference team last year," Di Scipio said. "To make it in the 'A' final my first event was just unbelievable to me. Tonight, I wasn't really worried about how I placed, and the 57 was crazy, but I didn't have anywhere else to go but up. I was just excited to compete with girls at a level I've never really competed with before."

Woodard saw them, and while tears can sometimes be a sign of trouble ahead, he knew exactly what he was seeing.

As any coach will tell you, the best moments come when you see an athlete achieve success they did not expect at the moment.

"That's the whole reason you do this sport," he said. "When you see somebody work really hard and there's that payoff, that breakthrough, it's so gratifying."

When she did it again – and even better – nearly four hours later in the finals, all she could do was laugh at the 57.60 on her final dive.

Her finals score of 285.50 now stands sixth on the program charts. For a competitor who has been gaining steam, the day represented a major jolt of confidence moving not just into the next few days, but the next two years.

"I'm excited to take all this energy into tomorrow and then the platform on Saturday," she said. "I was definitely on a very euphoric high for about two hours. I couldn't even eat -- my adrenaline was so high. I tried to focus on going in and doing the dives the way I knew how to do them. I tried to try to keep my baseline lower since I wasn't really trying to make it somewhere, rather than just compete to the best of my ability.

"I think my confidence has grown, especially in meets. I struggled a lot with my nerves overtaking my ability of knowing what to do. As I've kept scoring better, that's helped with my nerves at meets. I just can't wait how it progresses into the next two years."

Senior diver Jozie Meitz put additional points to the tally in the event, placing 20^th.

The other two events in the finals were relays, starting with the 200-yard medley event and closing with the 800 free relay, and the two quads did not disappoint.

The night closed with the 800 free team of Erin Dawson, Megan Hager, Lucy Matheson and Anika Johnson setting the school standard at 7:17.26. Dawson's opening split of 1:47.91 made her just the second Ram to dip below the 1:48 mark, then Johnson closed out the grouping with a 1:49.29, surpassing the mark of 7:18.04 two years ago – a relay Johnson also anchored.

For the senior, both moments were special – Hager was also on the 2022 team -- but the second time has the added touch of it being her final meet. Also, the fact she understood what she had actually finished.

"That was so exciting. We did it my sophomore year, and I feel nothing beats that feeling when you touch the wall and you know you've accomplished something for the team," Johnson said. "I remember going into that race (as a sophomore) and I didn't know what the record was. I touched the wall, and they were like, 'we did it,' and I was, 'we did what?' I knew what the time was going in, so when I touched the wall, I knew and that was a super-cool feeling."

The medley squad of Tess Whineray, Claire Wright, Matheson and Lexie Trietley posted a 1:40.06, the third-fastest time in program history to place sixth.

Not everybody competed on the first day, but for those who did, the jitters are gone. They not only have a sense for the tank, but how they've reacted to taper in competition. For a freshman like Whineray, a relay swim was a major plus.

"It definitely takes the edge off," said the addition from New Zealand. "I was a bit nervous going into it, but now I feel I know the pool better. My turn wasn't amazing, but now I know what I can work on and come back and feel good. There's a lot of energy, and that's one of the reasons I came over is because I wanted the team vibe and the team energy. It's really fun feeling it now."

Woodard met with the team before finals at the hotel, and using Di Scipio's preliminary performance as his lead in, he tried to build up the fire as the team went to the pool.

What he witnessed was what he wanted. Colorado State sits in a tie for fifth at 126 with Air Force. Two-time defending champion San Diego State has 203 points to lead the team race.

"I think both relays are bummed out they were touched out at the very end, and that's where I want their mind out," he said. "They thinking fifth and sixth, and I want them to pat themselves on the back, but I want them to be hungry, thinking we let a fourth and a fifth slip away. It's a good starting position for us, because sometimes we're notorious for being slow starters, so I think it's a good position for us."

The meet picks up the pace Thursday with a trio of individual events, the 3-meter springboard and the finals for the 400 medley relay. Prelims are set for a 9:30 a.m. MT start, including the 3-meter springboard. Finals begin at 5 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Erin Dawson

Maggie Di Scipio

Megan Hager

Anika Johnson

Lucy Matheson

Jozie Meitz

Lexie Trietley

Tess Whineray

Claire Wright