Just five or six points away. Penn women’s senior diver Sadie Howard is on her way to breaking the pool record on one of Penn’s diving boards. Four years diving at Penn, and Howard won’t slow down. She is debunking the common misconception that freshman season should be an athlete’s “peak.”
Originally from Vancouver, B.C., Howard began diving about 12 years ago. Now a senior, Howard will leave Penn with a lasting impact.
This season, Howard opened with one of the strongest starts of her career. She swept both diving events against Delaware and Villanova and won the 3-meter against Columbia, setting the tone for what would become her best year yet. Not only has she improved in consistency, but she has also developed a newfound confidence. This season, the Quakers have won five of their six meets, and Howard has been a reliable force in every competition. She credits her calmer performance to her more mature approach to the sport.
“I definitely wasn’t expecting to do as well as I have been this season. I never thought my senior year would be my best season — and it is. That’s been really exciting,” Howard said.
Her first seasons at Penn were rockier than she expected. Recruited during the height of COVID-19, she committed to Penn without visiting campus and entered her freshman year uncertain about what lay ahead. With limited collegiate experience and significant pressure, the transition proved difficult.
“I was treating it more as a really big deal my freshman year, and I think freshman year was very scary," Howard said, "My freshman year and sophomore year were honestly pretty tough. Competition-wise, I didn’t do very well,”
Her meet results reflect a steady rise from uncertainty to strength. As a freshman in the 2022–23 season, Howard began to find her footing. She qualified for the Ivy League championships and placed 18th in the three-meter and 26th in the one-meter dive. In her sophomore season, she improved to 15th in the one-meter and earned a berth to the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships at Princeton. By her junior season, Howard reached the B-Finals in the three-meter at Ivies. Now a senior, she views the upcoming Ivy League Championships through a confident lens.
“It's really exciting going into Ivy in February. I think everyone's super excited."
As Howard continued developing skills on the team, her performances began to reflect a diver who had truly found her place. By junior year, she noticed a positive shift in her self-trust and stress, and her increased ability to enjoy the sport.
“I think this year and last year I have definitely been the most calm, and they've also been my best years," Howard said. "I think it's because I am just enjoying it now and I'm having fun.”
Alongside her athletic growth, Howard has embraced an important leadership role within the program. As the only senior on the diving squad, she has become a guiding presence for Penn’s younger divers.
“When you're a freshman, you think that you’re at your peak … I try to tell them it can get better if you’re struggling as a freshman, it’s totally fine," Howard said. "I feel like it's supposed to be hard at the beginning, and it’s a learning curve.”
Her leadership extends beyond the team as well. Howard is co-president of the Penn Women’s Athletic Association. The organization promotes community, support, and resources for women across all Penn varsity programs. Howard oversees several committees, including marketing; finance; social; and development, philanthropy, and wellness.
As she prepares for Ivies and the qualifiers, Howard remains ambitious. She hopes to score at least B, or possibly A, in finals. Her biggest goal leaving the Red and Blue is to break the pool record, which she currently trails by a few points.
But most of all, Howard hopes her journey sets a precedent for future divers.
“Penn is a place where people think that they're not good enough … and that can go for academics and athletics. Just … believing in yourself and having the confidence, because the things that I've achieved at Penn, I never thought I would," Howard said. "Now being a senior, seeing how much I've accomplished … I think that you can accomplish a lot more than you think you can freshman year."
Howard’s commitment to improvement, support for the newcomers, and new perspective have left a lasting impact on the program. As her time with the Quakers approaches its end, she continues to compete with the same determination and joy that have fueled her best season yet.
