WESTON, Mass. – On March 1, Elisabeth McQuaid of Marlborough, Mass., represented Regis College at the 2019 NCAA Division III Northeast-North Regional Diving Championship, hosted by MIT at the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center Pool.
McQuaid finished in 21st place in the one-meter diving event with a total score of 328.10. McQuaid earned some of her best scores after performing her eighth dive, a forward 1½-somersault pike, as two of the judges awarded her a 7.0. However, when factoring in degree of difficulty, one of her best overall dives was the final one, as she earned a total of 34.5 on a forward 1-somersault 2-twist free dive.
Before competing at the NCAA Regionals, McQuaid sat down for an interview, talking about her diving career. Currently, she is in the midst of her senior season at Regis, needing a second qualifying score to once again advance to the NCAA Regional Diving Championships.
For Elisabeth McQuaid, establishing goals has always been a part of her diving experience.
The first goal was actually set by her mother, Erin McQuaid, an assistant professor in the sciences department at Regis. Eight-year-old Elisabeth did a back flip off a public pool diving board, and her mom immediately signed Elisabeth up for lessons to make sure her daughter would be safe if she wanted to continue diving.
One year later, Elisabeth was participating in a Junior Olympics competition when she realized that she was having fun and that she was a good diver. She joined ZAP (Zest for Achieving Potential) Diving, owned by two-time Olympic diving medalist Mary Ellen Clark, and later joined the varsity swimming and diving team at Advanced Math and Science Academy (AMSA) Charter School, finishing fourth at the MIAA Region II State Championships as a senior.
With her mother a Regis professor, Elisabeth spent plenty of time on campus as she grew up, but it was a specific goal that solidified her commitment to the school.
"I always wanted my name on that record board," Elisabeth said. "Plus, they have a good education program."
Elisabeth made an immediate impact for the Pride, winning the Great Northeast Athletic Conference championship in the one-meter diving event in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. She was also a two-time NEISDA All-New England honoree, finishing third in the one-meter event at the 2017 NEISDA Championships and second in the same event at the 2018 meet.
However, she began to lose the love of diving as her collegiate career started. That quickly turned around with the arrival in the fall of 2017 of Ricky Davies, a former diver at Wheaton College, as an assistant coach specializing in diving.
"My attitude towards diving has changed since I started here. I have been enjoying it a lot more than in the past, thanks to (my coach) Ricky," Elisabeth said. "He has told me to not think about the scores or breaking records, but to have fun and make that the goal every time."
Davies seems to enjoy using a small bullhorn to communicate with the divers, a bullhorn that Elisabeth gave him, an example of her willingness to be patient and have fun.
In 2018-19, Elisabeth continued to lead the Pride in the diving events. On Dec. 1, 2018, at the Regis Invitational, she completed her 11-dive list with a total score of 443.05 points, 35 points more than the previous school record that stood for 28 years. In splitting up the dives, Elisabeth established the five-dive record at 188.80 points and the new six-dive standard at 254.25 points.
Because those school records also became Regis Pool records, Elisabeth's name appears on the record board not just once, but six times.
"It was really cool. I saw them put my name up onto the board, and I was in shock. I still can't believe it happened. That day, I was not thinking about breaking the records, just about having fun, and I think that helped me set those new marks," said Elisabeth.
She finished third in the one-meter event at the 2019 GNAC Championships, an off-day for the junior. At the NEISDA Championships, she once again finished second to earn All-New England honors, taking advantage of a familiar pool, as she previously dove at MIT's Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center as a senior in high school.
Elisabeth returned to MIT for the NCAA Diving Regionals, which was her goal coming into the season. According to Elisabeth, there are two dives she still feels some trepidation about before attempting. In the 11-dive program, her sixth dive is a back 1½-somersault tuck, and her seventh dive is a reverse 1½-somersault tuck.
Elisabeth already has decided to enter the master's program for education within the college, as her ultimate goal is to become a special education teacher.
What is the one thing Elisabeth McQuaid, junior at Regis College, would tell eight-year-old Elisabeth McQuaid as she begins her diving career after that first back flip off the public pool diving board?
"It's not all about winning, just enjoy the experience and have fun. Take advantage of it now, because it will not last forever."