On Nov. 14, Eliza Donovan ’16 became the first Staples diver since 2009, and the third diver in Staples history, to make it to the Connecticut Diving Opens. Donovan placed 19th out of the top 24 high school divers in the state.

Making it to Opens, regardless of how one performs, is a great challenge in itself.
First, a diver must obtain an overall score of 160 in any meet throughout the year to make it to the state championships. From there, the judges select the best 24 divers to proceed to Opens. The diver with the best total score after eight dives is crowned champion.
Donovan, who has only been diving for three years, was quite excited about making it to opens. “It feels really great. I’m really proud of how far I have come, especially since freshman year having never dove before.”

Though Donovan possesses natural talent, her rise to success did not come without effort.
Sophia Stanley ’16, who made states but did not make the cut for opens, was quick to give commendation to Donovan. “She [Donovan] works really hard and puts in a lot of time and effort into practice,” said Stanley.

Staples diving coach Dan Long further elaborated on Donovan’s work ethic. “While Eliza learned all the basics rather quickly, her progress was the result of long hours of practice and hard work…. She does not like to do anything halfway or incorrectly.”

In terms of Donovan’s outlook for next year, she looks forward for the chance to improve on her Junior year. “I would love to get higher up on the Staples record board, to get top six in FCIACs and States and to improve in state opens as well,” said Donovan.