New platform for Penn diving

No matter what the judges say, Penn’s seven divers are trying to make a big splash this season.

The oft-forgotten partner of the swimming program, the diving team has been working hard to make a name for itself.

Under new leadership, the divers have helped carry their teams to numerous wins, including an impressive performance in their Jan. 29 meet against West Chester.

That evening, senior Melissa Gardel broke a 20-year-old record in the three-meter diving event with a score of 316.65. The record was held by Beth Bauer, the only female swimmer or diver in the program’s history who competed at NCAA Championships.

Meanwhile, sophomore Jeff Cragg broke the school’s oldest record in the one-meter diving event (349.13) — a record set by his father Rob in 1972.

One could point to the return of the elder Cragg to the program as the team’s new diving coach as the spark behind the team’s newfound success.

A highly accomplished diver at Penn, Rob went on to compete in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, where he placed fifth in the three-meter springboard.

While the Penn alumnus admitted his coaching style may have helped the team this year, he was reluctant to take all of the credit for the divers’ recent successes.

“I think I bring a little bit of a passion to coaching and the team because I’m an alum and because my son’s here,” he said. “But obviously those guys are putting in some really good work and we’ve ended up getting some pretty good results because of that.”

However the team ­­­— consisting of freshman Alison Miller, sophomores Alex Marple and Jeff Cragg, juniors Terren Niethamer, Madeline Bauer and Siobhan Carey, as well as senior Melissa Gardel — is vocal about the positive changes they have noticed since the arrival of their new coach.

“This is the first year that we’ve had a coach that is extremely knowledgeable about diving,” Bauer said. “He’s Jeff’s father so it gives us a nice bond as a team having a dad as a coach.”

The father-son dynamic has been positive for both the coach and the diver.

When asked about his son’s recent record-breaking achievement, Rob Cragg had mixed emotions.

“In one sense it’s a little sad. It’s been nice having my name up there,” he said. “But if there was anyone I would ever want to break a record it would be Jeff. It was a neat night watching it happen.”

For Jeff, breaking dad’s records had always been the plan.

“I’ve been in and out of the pool since before I can remember, so I’ve always seen the records growing up,” he said. “Since I decided I was coming here, it was a goal. It took me longer than expected.”

With that goal behind him, Jeff and the rest of the diving team will now prepare for the upcoming ECAC and Ivy championship meets, where head coach Mike Schnur expects to see a strong performance.

“Diving for years and years was a weakness,” Schnur said. “I used to say it was the bane of our existence, where we would go to championships and not score any points. Now it’s a big help to us.”

For his part, Rob Cragg isn’t willing to share his exact goals for the team.

“I know darn well that once you start to vocalize them you end up jinxing yourself,” he argued. “They all have their individual targets they’re working for and they’re pretty aggressive. They’re all doable and realizable considering what they did last year.”

Superstitions aside, the diving team has given the Quakers a springboard for success in a larger context. The men’s team this season sported a winning 4-3 Ivy record — compared to a 2-5 record just two short seasons ago.

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