Sault High alumna Olivia Martin capped off her first season of her collegiate diving career with a fourth place finish at the Midwest Conference Championships in Grinnell, Iowa last month. She is in her first year at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and was the only freshman that made the podium. Martin was seeded ninth, but “did an unbelievable job” according to her father Jim Martin, and scored 276.05 points to earn a fourth place finish. Martin’s finish earned 15 points for the Vikings, who also placed fourth overall in the conference.
Martin shared about her first year of collegiate competition. “Although the transition from high school to collegiate diving was a large adjustment, it was very rewarding. Having little to no diving competitors in high school to having many at every meet in college made a huge difference. While it was stressful, everyone was always so friendly and supportive even though we were competing against each other! Conference Championships were long and stressful, but everyone did so well! It felt amazing to do so well in my first year and knowing that I can always get better keeps me going. I definitely credit my teammates and coaches for my accomplishments this season – they are always supporting me and pushing me to do my best!”
Regarding her plans to stay in shape and prepare for next year, Martin shared her training plan. “To prepare for next year’s season, I will be doing a lot of lifting, stretching, and diving! While good flexibility is needed for diving, strength also plays a large role! Personally, I need to get better at both, and nothing combines the two like diving itself. While I can’t train with the club diving program due to rehearsal schedules, I will be diving by myself in the off season and working on a lot of repetition and technique, two other skills that are key to diving.”
She also reflected on her choice to be a student athlete. “While being a student-athlete in college is extremely challenging, it is also extremely rewarding. Knowing that you have an entire team to support you and push you to do your best is amazing.”
Martin is the daughter of Jim and Julie Martin. Information and photos courtesy of the Martin family.
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