Diving into Excitement: The Countdown to the UB Invite Begins!

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The divers of the Eastern Michigan University swim & dive squad are prepared to compete for the initial time in 2025 at the UB Diving Invite, hosted by the University at Buffalo, at the Alumni Arena Natatorium & Dorsi Raynolds Pool from Friday to Sunday, Jan. 10-12. 
 
The event will kick off at 11 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, while it will commence at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Apart from the Bulls, the Eagles are set to face diving teams from Akron, Duquesne, and Ohio. The invite will begin on Friday with the three-meter dive, Saturday will feature the one-meter dive, and Sunday’s events will include the platform dive, which the Eagles have not yet participated in this season. The top-12 divers from the preliminary rounds will progress to the finals for each event.   
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live updates for each day can be accessed here. Fans can watch Friday’s live stream of the competition here and Saturday’s stream here. Check back on EMUEagles.com for a post-event summary with complete results after each day of competition. Additionally, follow the team’s social media profiles on Instagram, X, and Facebook for updates on EMU swim & dive content.
 
LAST TIME AT UB DIVING INVITE
In the previous season at the UB Diving Invite, the Eagles secured four student-athletes in the top-10 positions in both the one-meter and three-meter dives. Ciara Wheeler (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) led the squad in the one-meter, achieving a fourth-place finish with 256.25 points. Rebekah Knapp (Mesa, Ariz./Skyline) led the Eagles in the three-meter, taking fifth place with a score of 280.15 points. There was no team scoring at this event.
 
LAST TIME OUT: VS. OAKLAND, NOV. 21
The divers last participated against Oakland on Nov. 21, which resulted in a 161-139 victory for the Eagles, improving their record to 3-1 for the season. Malia Maire (San Luis Obispo, Calif./San Luis Obispo) was the top performer for the Green and White, achieving a personal-best 270.45 points in the one-meter for a second-place finish. She was followed by Knapp in third (267.00), and freshman Taityn Speier (Fairfax, Va./WT Woodson) in fourth (245.93). Knapp excelled in the three-meter, earning first place with a score of 317.25. Maire placed second with 258.83, while Wheeler (252.53) and Speier finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Collectively, Eastern divers amassed 23 of the 37 diving points in the victory. Furthermore, Knapp’s 267.00 performance in the one-meter qualified her for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships, her second qualification of the season as she also qualified in the three-meter with a score of 317.25.
 
Previously Noted
DIVER OF THE WEEK
Knapp was recognized as MAC Co-Diver of the Week on Nov. 27. This accolade represents her second of the season and third of her career. She claimed the award earlier this season, on Oct. 23, after achieving her three-meter NCAA Zone Diving Championships qualification with a personal-best score of 317.25, finishing first in a victory over Cleveland State on Oct. 18.  
 
In the meet against Oakland on Nov. 21, Knapp recorded her second first-place finish of the season in the three-meter dive, matching her personal-best with a score of 317.25 during the Eagles’ 161-139 win. Her score currently ranks as the second-best in the conference according to Swim Cloud. Additionally, she secured a third-place finish in the one-meter dive with a score of 267.00, marking her second qualification for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships this season. Overall, Knapp led all Eastern divers with 12 points in the meet.

VS. INDIANA STATE, NOV. 9

The Eagles experienced a defeat in their home-opener against Indiana State, falling 187-113, on Nov. 9. In the pool, Eastern was spearheaded by Azra Umut (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce School), who secured first place in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:04.50, and finished second in the 100-yard backstroke in 57.51. Both times represented personal-bests for the freshman. On the boards, Maire led the Green and White, winning the three-meter dive with a season-best score of 266.93 points and placing third in the one-meter dive with a personal-best of 256.88 points. Sophomore Tristen Mina (Santa Clara, Calif./The King’s Academy) also set a personal record in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing in 56.16.

 

AT BUFFALO, OCT. 26

The Eagles emerged from enemy territory victorious, claiming a 149.5-148.5 victory over Buffalo on Oct. 26. In the pool, their performance was highlighted by Abby Szadorski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East), who dominated both breaststroke events, winning the 100-yard in 1:04.12, a full second quicker than her previous season-best of 1:05.12, and the 200-yard in 2:20.13. The senior subsequently improved her time in the 200-yard IM, finishing in 2:10.05 compared to her 2:11.32 against Cleveland State on Oct. 18. On the diving boards, Wheeler led the team with a fourth-place finish in the one-meter dive, accumulating 251.85 points across the six-dive format.

 

BIG SEASON-OPENING WIN

The Eagles commenced the season with a significant 190-108 victory over Cleveland State on Oct. 18. This victory marked the largest winning margin (82 points) in a season-opening match during the Perkins Era. Additionally, it became his fourth consecutive season-opening win in his six years leading the program. Six Eagles won multiple events, as the team triumphed in nine of the 12 individual swimming events throughout the meet and claimed victory in 12 of 16 overall events.

ENTERING YEAR SIX UNDER PERKINS

The program is now entering its sixth year under Perkins’ guidance. Overall, Perkins has a record of 12-19, with a 9-10 standing in Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournaments. The program has seen 64 Academic All-MAC honorees and four College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America recognitions.

 

THE SEASON AHEAD

Eastern is poised to participate in nine regular-season meets in 2024-25, culminating in the MAC Championships from Feb. 26 to March 1. The Eagles will compete in meets across the states of Michigan, Ohio, New York, Florida, and Washington. 

 

TOM GIMM – HEAD DIVING COACH

Perkins announced the appointment of Tom Gimm as the Eagles’ Head Diving Coach on June 20. He arrives with considerable club coaching experience and has also coached within the MAC, as he servedas the Chief Diving Coach at Ohio University from 2016-18. Gimm most recently held the position of Head Diving Coach/Director of Diving Operations for Moss Farms Diving, a junior diving powerhouse featuring a cutting-edge facility in Moultrie, Ga. His Flying Tigers recently secured second place in the 2024 USA Diving Zone B Championships conducted at the Moss Farms Diving Facility. Gimm also mentored high school prodigy Tuck Gregory to a Georgia High School Association Individual State Championship in 2024.

 

RETURNERS/NEWCOMERS

This year’s Eagles squad brings back 23 letterwinners from the 2023-24 team and welcomes nine new additions, all of whom are freshmen, including Riess Estep (Smyrna, Ga./Whitefield Academy), Aisling Gutierrez (New Kent, Va./New Kent), Nehir Guven (Istanbul, Turkey/Istek Atanur Oguz Okullari), Rose Kendrick (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva), Megan Lupa (Campden, Ontario/West Niagara Secondary), Nehir Oz (Istanbul, Turkey/Cevre), Speier, Azra Umut (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce School), and Adley Zamore (Tampa, Fla./H.B. Plant).

 

DIVING LEADER

On the diving boards, the Eastern team is spearheaded by Knapp, who achieved a second-place finish in the three-meter dive at the MAC Championships last season, scoring 301.15.

 

MAC COACHES PRESEASON POLL

In a survey consisting of the MAC’s eight head coaches, the Eagles’ squad was predicted to secure sixth place in the MAC rankings for the forthcoming 2024-25 season.

 

UP NEXT

The swimming and diving segments of the Eagles’ team will compete simultaneously for the first time in 2025 when they are scheduled to host Toledo at Jones Natatorium on Friday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m.

 

FOLLOW US

For the most recent updates in EMU swimming & diving, keep an eye on EMUEagles.com, and follow the team’s social media profiles on Instagram, X, and Facebook.