Winter sports have ended, but one has left a significant mark in Colorado Mesa University athletics history. Diving was the sport at CMU to take the NCAA by storm and bring major attention to the Division II college in Grand Junction. CMU diving is now considered to be one of the best in the country.
At the NCAA national championships for Division II, Ammar Hassan, who came to CMU this semester from Egypt, won the NCAA Diver of the Year and two NCAA Division II National Championships. Not only did Hassan take first in the 1-meter and 3-meter boards, but CMU divers also took second and sixth on the stand.
“Finally, I made it,” Hassan said. “I broke the national record on the 3 meter.”
It was the first set of national titles won in the CMU Swim & Dive program by any competitor.
Hassan arrived at CMU in early February and competed in only the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championships and the NCAA National Championship. He did not compete in the full season, but took RMAC titles and now nationals. Hassan has the goal of going to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I am very surprised, like shocked,” Hassan said. “During the meet, there was a lot of pressure. I was nervous. Logan [Pearsall] helped me be more confident.”
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With second place going to fellow CMU diver in Noah Macomber and sixth place to senior Saige D’Ambrosia, the team truly showed that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Not only did the student-athletes shine in diving, but CMU Men’s Diving Coach Logan Pearsall won CSCAA’s Men’s Diving Coach of the Year.
“I mean honestly it’s all about the kids, the award is them,” Pearsall said. “There are the ones that did that the work and it was awesome to bring that award back to the university. The kids work their butts off all year and to me, that’s a way of them getting recognized as well.”
Pearsall is in his fourth year as the head diving coach for the Mavericks and managed to have nine of his divers earn All-American honors after Nationals. Last season, six athletes earned the same honors in what was called the best season in program history…that saying didn’t last one year.
The diving team focuses on from day one, is believing that they are one of the best and coach Pearsall has developed a winning system around that very concept at CMU.
“There is a difference between cocky and confident. I always tell them everything they do, they do confidence and don’t be cocky. Nobody likes a cocky person.” Pearsall said. The team believes that everybody contributes and that lets them be part of a successful program.
Diving is very special for CMU.
“It was good before I got here (diving,) and I’ve worked relentlessly from recruiting and my first year we had like four athletes and now this year we had 15. It’s just believing in the process and kids that we bring in.” Pearsall said.
Both Hassan and Macomber are freshmen, in which are going to be a solid foundation to build off of for the next couple years, in which the Mavericks are most likely going to be the favorites in every meet come next season.
“Our goals are to keep sending more and more kids to nationals every year. We will keep getting the honors and being one of the best programs in the country. Whether you just be a regular athlete or a world-class athlete, if you buy in, you are capable of doing big things.” Pearsall said.
Hassan broke the record on the three-meter board and it was held by one of Pearsall’s teammates, where they swam together at Clarion University and graduated in 2010.
“It was really cool and it was really special, because you know if anyone is going to break it, I would love for it to be either somebody from my alma mater or one of my kids,” Pearsall said, “So for it to be one of my kids, was really special.”
When Hassan came in, Pearsall really helped him work on his confidence, getting him to believe that he is the world-class athlete.
“We got three more years to see where we can go and definitely 2020 in Tokyo is definitely our goal,” Pearsall said.