Ben Ryan
Staff Writer
Jack Lewis
Lewis, in his senior year will be attending NCAA’s for the second straight year. Lewis will be no stranger to the higher competition. As he prepares to travel to NCAA’s in his final season, it very well could be an emotional time for Lewis, but that won’t be preventing him from doing great things.
Q. What was your immediate reaction when you found out you would be going to the NCAA’s?
A. “When I found out I was going to NCAA’s for the second time, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It’s been my goal every year to make it there and it just makes you realize all the hard work has paid off!”
Q. How does preparation change now that you’re headed to the NCAA’s?
A. “Preparation doesn’t actually change much at all. At this point we are just maintaining what we are doing, and have been all season, so that we are at our best when we arrive in Texas.
Q. You’ll be joined by a few teammates at NCAA’s, what will that be like?
A. It will actually be five of us there:three females and two males, including myself. Four out of the five of us are returning to the NCAA’s so it will be a great group! We all get along pretty well and know the goals that we want to achieve, and we all have each other to lean on to achieve these goals.
Morgan Kitzmiller
Kitzmiller, an impressive sophomore, will be competing at NCAA’s for the first time in her unfinished two-year career. The second-year diver will more than likely have no problems whatsoever with the next level.
Q. What was your immediate reaction when you found out you would be going to the NCAA’s?
A. “I am so excited to go to NCAA’s, especially with four of my teammates! The pool is pulsing with energy between Jack, MJ, Emily, Christiana, the coaches, and I. It’s hard to believe that in a little over a week we’ll be on a plane to Texas! I honestly cried when Peter Avdoulos (my coach) came up to me and shook my hand to congratulate me for qualifying.”
Q. How does preparation change now that you’re headed to the NCAA’s?
A. “Preparation changes a little for NCAA’s. Since practice is just Jack and I, it’s much more one-on-one and focused on repetition, so we go into the meet fully prepared, both physically and mentally. Practices leading up to the meet have been really been focused on all of the little things about a dive. We’ve been doing these dives a long time, and now Pete is just working with us to get all the details spotless! This week has been filled with big improvements, too! I’ve learned two new dives that I’ll be substituting for this meet that increase my overall degree of difficultly by 0.8. Preparation for this meet is equally as mental as it is physical doing dives into the pool. Pete, Kyra (my assistant coach), and Jack have really helped me set high goals for myself for this meet.
Q. You’ll be joined by a few teammates at NCAA’s, what will that be like?
A. “This meet truly means a lot to me because of my teammates. Going with my four teammates is amazing because we get to go and represent Springfield together and show off all of the hard work that we’ve been doing as a team. I can’t wait for this trip because it will be something unforgettable.”