The Binghamton swimming & diving teams are already off to an impressive start this year. Both the men's and women's squads are unbeaten so far in dual meets. Between them, one program record and five pool records have been broken.

But perhaps the most remarkable feat came on Nov. 18 in a home dual meet against NJIT. It was then that four divers met the qualifying standard for the NCAA Zone Meet, which will be held March 11-13 at Navy.

Sophomore David Walters and freshman Chris Egan qualified on the men's side with scores of 313.80 and 305.17 respectively in the one-meter diving competition. The qualifying score is 300.00.

On the women's side, sophomore Sophia Howard and freshman Amanda McGraw recorded qualifying scores of 284.32 and 270.83. The women's qualifying score is 265.00.

Prior to the start of this season, Binghamton had three men's divers and one women's diver qualify for the NCAA Zone Meet during its 17-year NCAA Division I era. There are five Zone Meets in the nation each year, based on a school's geographic region. Between 20-40 divers take part in each of those meets. From there, the top 10 percent of finishers at each Zone meet advance to the NCAA Championships.

"It was incredible to have four divers qualify for the zone meet," Walters said. "It is a true testament to the hard work and dedication we have put forth this year."

"I was overjoyed that four of us were able to make the cut," Howard said. "In that meet, the energy was high, we were excited, having fun competing with each other and making the most of it."

For Walters, qualifying for the NCAA Zone Meet fulfills a goal he had set before the season. As a freshman, he was named the Most Outstanding Men's Diver at the America East Championships. He wasn't able to meet the Zone mark last season and wanted reach it as soon as possible this year.

"It is a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders," he said. "Now I can focus on preparing my dives for the America East Championship and NCAA zones rather than focusing on a specific point score to hit."

Howard, meanwhile, transferred from Pace University prior to this season. Having qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships last season, she was confident she could make a run for the Zone qualifying standard.

"In my freshman year (at Pace), I pushed myself at every practice, listened to my coach's corrections and surpassed my mental obstacles to qualify for NCAAs," she said. "I knew if I kept training with the same mentality, the goal of qualifying for Zones would be in arm's reach."
Even though she transferred to Binghamton during the summer, Howard found a very welcoming group of teammates.

"Over the summer, some of the seniors on the team reached out to me in welcoming me to Binghamton," she said. "I had met with Kat Tibensky and she gave me a run down on everything. It was nice to have an idea as to what my new school and team would be like. The upperclassmen always make me feel included in team activities and I really like spending time with everyone. It is like a big family."

The leadership of the swimming & diving program starts with fifth-year head coach Brad Smith. From there, fourth-year diving coach Heather Colby is specifically responsible for recruiting and training the divers. The two of them have been amazed -- but not surprised -- by what the divers have accomplished.

"This is why we recruited these young men and women," Smith said. "Because we believed in them to eventually be at this level. They are working up to their potential. We are very proud with their commitment to the team and their individual goals. It comes down to the little things -- and they do them. They do them right and they do extra."

Colby arrived at Binghamton following a standout career at SUNY Fredonia. She qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in her senior year (2015) and was ninth overall in the one-meter diving event. She has made the most of her first collegiate coaching opportunity and couldn't be happier for the success her athletes are having.

"To see four of our divers qualify for Zones was absolutely incredible," she said. "They all work so hard every single day and it paid off. The way they all hugged each other when they found out they qualified was something out of a movie. Their smiles were overwhelming in the best of ways. This is something that a young coach can only dream of, and yet I realize that they earned it---every single day, every single practice, early morning, and lift -- they earned it."

Both Smith and the divers were quick to credit Colby for a great deal of the success that they've attained.

 "Heather is a good coach who takes her role and responsibility to these young men and women seriously," Smith said. "She's learned a lot over these last three years and continues to be a student. This is a crucial point to understand as a coach and she gets it and works on it daily. She is an avid learner and is always seeking to better herself for those she coaches."

"Heather is an outstanding coach for being so young relative to the diving community," Walters said. "I personally have been coached by people of all ages and skill levels and she is unparalleled when it comes to her knowledge and motivation on and off the pool deck. Her ability to critique each of us in different ways to give us the most depth and understanding to our dives is what makes her so different from any other coach."

Besides the quartet that met the NCAA Zone qualifying marks in the meet against NJIT, the Bearcats have other accomplished veteran divers. Junior Jaime Campbell has been named all-conference in each of her first two seasons. On the men's side, senior Colin Coughlan was a top-six finisher in both diving events at last year's America East meet. The talent and chemistry among the divers have made for a special bond.

"Our dynamic is amazing," Howard said. "My favorite part of everyday is going to practice to see my teammates. They encourage me to push myself to be a better diver every practice. We have so much fun together and I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to be a part of such an awesome program."

"The divers have always been pretty good about being close but this year the atmosphere is incredible," Colby said. "The laughter I hear in the midst of practice and the cheering during practice and meets is something a coach dreams of. They love each other and they support one another through not only practice but life as well."

The Bearcat divers are far from the only standouts within the swimming & diving programs as they wrap up the fall portion of their meet schedule. Junior Ross Bernstein was named the America East Men's Swimmer of the Week on Oct. 23 and sophomore Kaitlyn Smolar was the women's pick on Oct. 30. Senior Brooke Pettis is the defending America East champion in the 100 meter fly and fellow senior Alex Brion was the runner up last year in both the men's 50 free and 100 free races.

Still, the divers have raised their performances this year and that bodes well for the Bearcats the rest of the season.

"We know and believe in the caliber of our diving and it is always reassuring to know we are scoring points on both ends," Smith said. "The swimmers have to be focused on taking care of business on their end and the divers have to be focused on their end. When both fulfill their responsibilities, it typically turns out well for us."