The diving team experienced what coach Tom Stebbins labeled as a “catastrophe” Feb. 29, when freshman Laura Winn slammed her face into the springboard while executing a dive at the Pac-10 Championships in Washington state.
After Winn was promptly taken to a local hospital, however, UCLA’s divers had to continue competing.
Although they had just watched a teammate go though a nightmarish accident, the divers finished the competition and had to begin preparation for their toughest and arguably most important competition this year: the NCAA Zones, which begin today.
“My approach (last) week with them was to try to keep them loose, and I think that we were incredibly productive,” Stebbins said. “We were more productive than what I predicted we would be (the weekend after the injury), just knowing how I was feeling and not being able to imagine what they were going through. Laura is like a sister to them, and so I think her absence probably made it a little harder. I can tell you that there was a somber darkness around what we were doing (March 3) and (March 4).”
Then in the middle of last week, great news arrived.
“On Wednesday when we got word that (Winn’s) injuries were far less severe than what we had originally anticipated it was like a weight was lifted immediately,” Stebbins said. “The attitude changed, the sense of relief just from knowing she’s going to be fine was huge. I thought Thursday and Friday and Saturday was just different.”
Upon meeting with her plastic surgeon March 5, Winn was told she would not require the large amount of additional reconstructive plastic surgery that doctors had initially anticipated her needing.
Winn, who suffered a variety of fractures to her face, was only required to undergo minor reconstructive surgery March 6 to her nose, which doctors thought was out of line.
As of Saturday, Winn was back in her home in Northern California despite initial fears that she would remain in the Washington hospital for several weeks.
“By (last) Friday I had talked to Laura and she sounded great,” Stebbins said. “She talked to me (Saturday) about being ready to get back to school and finishing up the quarter. I can tell you that that is very different than what we thought we would be dealing with (March 5). How quickly that has changed has been an amazing thing to have happen.
“(The injury) was incredibly scary and frightening, but the reality is that it couldn’t have happened any better. I think we got absolutely the best result that we even could have begun to hope for.”
DIVERS IN OKLAHOMA: The news about Winn couldn’t have come at a better time. It appears the divers will need all their mental and physical focus to be successful in Oklahoma City at the NCAA Zones this weekend.
This meet is critical because it is where divers punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio, next week. This year four of the team’s six divers posted scores good enough to qualify them for zones, and all four will compete this weekend.
Juniors Marisa Samaniego and Tess Schofield along with redshirt freshman Morgan Erpenbeck and true freshman Brittany Hill will go up against a field of 41 qualifiers in 1-meter and 3-meter events and against 32 qualifiers in the tower event. Of those 41 total athletes, only seven from the three events combined will qualify for NCAAs.
Stebbins said that UCLA usually qualifies at least one athlete for NCAAs. He said that after such an emotional week of practice, rest should help the divers perform at their best.
“The only thing I’ve ever asked them to do is to give their absolute best effort,” he said. “I think that if we do that, we are a very, very good team. … I’m very comfortable with the group and where they are. I think all the work is good, the work is in, and I think if we let the meet come to us rather than trying to force ourselves into the meet I think we have an opportunity to be very, very good.”
THREE QUALIFY FOR NCAAs: As anticipated, the release of the NCAA qualifying times for swimmers reflected the record-breaking speed that swimmers across the nation have exhibited in this Olympic year.
For the first time in its history, the NCAA accepted only swimmers who qualified with automatic “A-times” to its postseason championship.
This means only three Bruin swimmers will continue swimming this season. Senior Nicolette Teo, junior Anne Poteete and freshman Lauren Hall will represent UCLA in Columbus at the championships.
Freshman Dani Milligan, who missed an A-time by 0.01 seconds, is among a long list of Bruins who posted lifetime-best swims that would normally qualify for the NCAAs as “B-times.”
“We had 16 (swimmers) qualify for A and B times, which is the most I’ve ever had,” swim coach Cyndi Gallagher said. “And we broke a school record in the 800 free relay, and yet we only have three qualifiers. But the three that we have are great.”