Junior Tyler Markman, Penn's top diver, made a name for himself over winter break during training with members of the United States National Diving Team at the University of Georgia. While his dives were solid, they were not the main reason he garnered so much attention. Markman's claim to fame was the pink Speedo that he donned during warm ups and practice.
"It got a lot of attention," sophomore teammate Nick Corsano said. "We later found out that some [random] divers in Houston had heard about the pink suit."
Unusual fashion statements are not the only part of Penn diving's new look this season. Although Penn did not bring in a single diving recruit, the Quakers did reel in a new coach in Julie Van Deusen.
In college, Van Deusen dove for the University of Delaware, where she competed in the NCAA Championships in 2002 and was the two-time Colonial Athletic Association Diver of the Year.
"She is really passionate about what she does on deck and really tries to help [us] get better," Corsano said.
"She has worked with and been around many really good divers because she has been with numerous teams," Markman added. "This enables her to make good and useful comments to help us improve."
Van Deusen replaced Anitra Kass, who according to Penn swimming coach Mike Schnur "moved on to other opportunities; she wanted to take six to nine months off to hike the Appalachian Trail and pursue teaching."
"Kass only coached younger kids previously," Markman said. "[Van Deusen] is more experienced."
Senior Guillermo Marx also felt strongly that the change was for the better, especially when it came to degree of difficulty.
"Coach Kass wouldn't force us to go through with difficult dives," Marx said. "She wasn't as experienced. Julie lets us know when she wants to get down to work and we follow through."
Van Deusen took the diving team to Georgia to train and compete with some of the top collegiate diving programs in the nation, including Auburn -- last year's national champions -- and Southern Methodist University.
"They have a great facility," Van Deusen said. "We trained for a few days and then had a three-day competition. We got to see how hard other teams work."
In addition to the training camp, Van Deusen has added to the routine practice schedule. This season, the divers must train in the weight room twice a week in addition to daily practice at Sheerr Pool.
"In previous years, the divers didn't have to practice in the weight room too much," Van Deusen said. "It has improved their strength, though; they are tighter in the air and have better balance on the board."
In her first season, Van Deusen has formed a close bond with each of the divers and challenges them while keeping practice fun. For example, at the University of Georgia, Van Deusen made a deal with Markman.
"Tyler didn't want to have weight room practice the next day, so I gave him a challenge," Van Deusen said. "If he could do a front double in the straight position from three meters, a difficult dive involving two flips while staying in a straight position, I would cancel practice the next day. He completed the dive and amazed everyone with his body control, so I cancelled practice the next day."
The divers have been able to prove their importance to the swimming and diving team this season.
On Jan. 15, when Brown edged the Quakers, 124-117, the divers earned 29 points. Markman won at three meters and at one meter, earning scores of 277.13 and 259.43, respectively. Corsano finished third at three meters and second at one meter while Marx posted fourth place finishes in both events.
"Tyler's diving kept us in the meet," Schnur said.
With a new coach, a tougher practice schedule and close team camaraderie, the Penn swimming team can look to its divers to make a very significant contribution to its success this season.
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