Senior Claire Callender recently announced her athletic commitment to Fairfield University for diving. Fairfield competes in NCAA Division 1 for this sport, and is well-known for its advanced nursing program, which she plans to pursue in college. Claire expressed her excitement for the diving and nursing programs in an interview, as well as the appealing location of the school: Fairfield is “a great distance from home, not too close, but not too far.” The school is close to the beach and has access to hospitals across New England.
The recruitment process helped Claire decide which schools would be the best fit for her. While looking into college diving programs, Claire’s primary focus was finding a college that was known for her desired major of nursing; their diving program helped Claire determine whether or not it was a good fit for her.
As a high school student going through the recruitment process, Claire faced some challenges. Even though she looked into various diving programs, there was always an “uncertainty of the coaching style.” Despite this difficulty, Claire had help from her current LS and club coaches who “helped [her] through the process, [with] a positive attitude.”
Claire’s process for choosing a school may be of help to other LS athletes. She started to focus on diving in college early in her junior year. A few of the first steps she took were starting a diving Instagram account, filling out college questionnaires, and reaching out to coaches. Recording her dives during the season was able to help put her on the radar of potential schools.
Claire also took some time away from the sport to ensure that she was sure she wanted to pursue it in college. Over this past summer, coaching at Sudbury Swim & Tennis helped her rediscover her love of diving. Coaches helped her with the continuing recruitment process and she was persistent and kept reaching out to colleges throughout the fall. Claire is thrilled for the opportunity to continue diving in college.
Claire’s diving season has been going very well so far this winter, having qualified early in the season for the girls Division 1 Swim and Dive State Meet, a difficult feat in the diving world. Claire says that she has been “learning many new dives and [is] getting excited to continue learning more after the season ends.” Regarding her feelings about diving next year for Fairfield, Claire says that she is excited to not only “continue diving at the next level,” but to also “be on a team in college and to have a community of people” as soon as she steps on campus.
Yet, there are still some nerves for Claire. She acknowledges that balancing schoolwork, diving practice, and a social life may be difficult. However, Claire plans to face these issues head on, saying “I know I will have support and resources from my Fairfield professors and coaches to help me excel in my studies.”
Claire is looking forward to the challenge of being a student athlete and we cannot wait to see what Claire does at Fairfield! Good luck Claire!
