There is a sense of excitement emanating from the McHugh Natatorium this season, as the Clemson diving team is displaying much promise early in their season. Longtime head coach Leslie Hasselbach Adams has the team off to a great start, with the Tigers going 5-1 in their first six diving competitions. 

With Sarah Braun and Danielle Reitsma serving as the lone seniors on the 13-woman squad, the team is fairly young, but one would not be able to tell much from their early-season performances.

In their opening competition at UNC Wilmington, the Tigers fared well, with Clemson divers earning the top five spots in both the three-meter and five-meter events. Along with Reitsma, sophomore Sarah Blank has had excellent showings so far this fall. The two of them qualified for the NCAA Zone B Championships with their performances in Clemson’s second meet

of the year. 

Several other divers have since garnered berths in the NCAA Zone Championships, including burgeoning sophomore Jaya Brown. After defeating UNC Wilmington, East Carolina and UNC Wilmington simultaneously, West Florida and Navy twice, respectively, the Tigers reached a 5-0 start. Despite falling to South Carolina with a 28-10 score, the Tigers were solid in their sixth meet.

The Clemson swimming and diving program dropped swimming six years ago but has done an excellent job of committing to diving and embracing the new culture established by Coach Hasselbach Adams. In recent years, a bevy of Clemson divers have been some of the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and Reitsma, among others, is helping keep that trend alive.

The swimming and diving season is still in it’s early stages, with the regular season running through early February. With the ACC and NCAA Championships thereafter, Clemson will boast several incredible divers looking

for titles. 

Clemson will look to build upon its fall momentum once conference play begins this Thursday. The Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech Invitational competitions open the conference slate for the Tigers later this week, as the crux of the season approaches for Clemson. 

Aspirations are naturally high surrounding the diving program for the remainder of the season, as their October and November showings have generated excitement. If Coach Hasselbach

Adams’s track record is any indication, the Tigers will continue to produce and impress for the rest of the 2016-17 season.