Feb. 12, 2009
Q&A With Head Diving Coach Kevin Wright
Talk about what a great opportunity it is for Texas A&M to be hosting the NCAA Championships this year.
Head Diving Coach Kevin Wright: I think it's a great opportunity to showcase our facility. There are a lot of elements that are involved in putting on a big championship meet. The Texas A&M staff does a great job of managing and preparing for the meets. The administration makes sure that these swimmers and divers have everything they need to train at the highest level and it shows when we are able to host events like this. I think we will have a very exciting championship and people will leave pleased with their experience in Aggieland.
Going into the championship season, how do you feel about the setup you have with the men's diving team?
KW: Lots of enthusiasm. We're hoping to put on a good show. First thing's first… We want to go to Missouri and qualify as many as we possibly can at the Zone meet and then turn our focus to doing good things at the Championship meet. We have expanded the team this year. We have 10 divers, both men and women, with a chance to do some outstanding things. We were fortunate enough to sign two new Australian divers, two new Canadian divers, and several from the United States. We have home pool advantage. Our divers are use to the general atmosphere.
Talk about Eric Sehn. What is he doing right now to prepare for championships?
KW: At this stage of the year, Eric is in as good of physical shape as he's ever been in prior to the Big 12 Championship and then heading into the postseason. From a psychological standpoint I think he is feeling really good. He had an excellent performance against SMU a couple of weeks ago. We followed up with a trip to Texas where he won the 3-meter competition in a very competitive event against the Texas divers. Currently, he is up at the Canadian Nationals trying to qualify for the World Championship trials. He will dive up in Calgary this weekend along with a couple of his teammates. It's looking pretty good for him to be in top shape for the championships and I think it will be a lot of fun to watch.
What has Eric meant to this program over the last four or five years?
KW: When a freshman comes into a program, they have what I call youthful enthusiasm and unbridled excitement about training everyday and getting better. As the years go on, it's tougher to find reason to be motivated. Eric has found a way to stay motivated and not lose that excitement. He has been solid and consistent for us throughout the years and I think he will continue to add to his accolades. He has been a great representative of Texas A&M for the past several years.
How has Henry Stevens improved during his time here at A&M?
KW: Henry is one of those guys who keeps chipping away. He is very diligent in his work ethic and it is beginning to show. He has improved more than anyone. I am very proud of Henry's accomplishments. He was accepted into the Mays Business School this year and had a 4.0 in his academic work last semester. He has become a very solid individual for the team both in the classroom and in the pool. You don't really find much better than him.
Introduce the readers to our new divers…
Bradley Berryhill…
Brad is from Houston. He missed an entire month of training while he was recovering from mono. The majority of the year, he has spent training on the platform. Brad is a lot of fun to coach. He has a lot of courage on the 10-meter. He's not afraid to try things. He has a few injuries, but when he can heal up and have a consistent period of training, he's going to do some great things for us.
Cam Mclean…
Cam Mclean is the young guy from Winnipeg. He was second at the Pan American Junior Championships last summer. He's been on a number of world age group teams for Canada. Cam is one of the most talented junior divers coming out of Canada. He was the national age group champion last year, his senior year in high school. Anyone that has been around young people knows that the freshman year is a very difficult one in terms of transition. The demands of school and homework, the rigors of university studies, and the requirements that we have in athletics' present a challenge to these kids. If you want to be good at anything, it's going to require sacrifice. Cam is learning to do that.
Grant Nel…
Grant is all the way from Melbourne, Australia. Grant arrived in late December, so we've only been working with him for about six or seven weeks. I've seen a lot of improvement as far as his comfort level here in the United States goes. It's a different society and culture that these guys are transitioning into along with the level of training and academic work. Grant has blended in wonderfully with the rest of the team. That is what I am most impressed with. Although we have 10 individuals on the team, they get along really well. We learn from the difficult times and enjoy the good times. The divers spend many hours together and they have a lot of fun.