Sports Editor Matthew Yannie recently talked to menís diver Luke Knezevic í12. Knezevic won the one- and three-meter diving competitions at last weekendís NCAC Championship meet and was named NCAC Diver-of-the-Year.
MY: Last season you finished third in the one-meter event at the NCAC Championships and earned all-conference honors. What were your goals coming into this year after such success as a first-year?
LK: Finishing in the top three was my goal. I knew that I would be facing a lot of tough competition, but I have been training a lot harder this year. I have a new coach this season, so I thought I could achieve even greater success.
MY: How does the competition in diving during the dual-meet season prepare you for diving at the conference championships? How much more competitive is the NCAC meet compared to any of the dual-meets?
LK: It varies depending on the meet, but generally the competition isnít too harsh for most colleges except for Denison [University] which is sort of a powerhouse of diving right now. Dual-meets solidify my list of dives up until conference. I get to try different things at the dual-meet level and then by the time I get to conference I know which dives are good enough for that level of competition.
MY: You are the first male at the College to win the NCAC Diver-of-the-Year award and only the second diver in school history to earn top honors. What does the award mean to you and to the diving program at Wooster?
LK: It means that weíve started to take it to the next level. The program is growing, and hopefully weíll be able to get some more divers now. Iím just so happy I was able to achieve this honor and hopefully Iíll be able to win it in the future.
MY: You defeated 13 other divers in the one-meter event and took first place by over 31 points with a dive of 449.7, over 34 points better than your third place dive of last yearís championships. How has a year of experience translated into greater success this season?
LK: I have to say that learning to be fearless and put everything to the side and focus on one dive at a time. That has been my biggest change overall ó last year I let some of the emotional stuff get to me at times, but this year my diving coach, Eric Haschke, has really helped me psychologically.
MY: With almost a month until the NCAA Div. III Championships, how do you stay sharp looking forward to your last dives of the season?
LK: Practicing all my dives every day and really focusing on technique, not thinking that Iím just thinking I have a month until championships while still staying connected to my team.
MY: In terms of the dives youíll be doing at the national championship, will those be new dives or are you just refining and polishing the dives youíve done?
LK: I have a few more dives to learn. I really have to improve my three-meter a bit. I just barely won the three-meter competition at conference so I need to learn some bigger dives if I want to stay competitive at the national level.
MY: As an NCAC champion in the one- and three-meter competitions as only a sophomore, what are you hopes or expectations for the rest of your time at Wooster?
LK: I hope to remain the conference champion and further achieve at the national level. Iím hoping for top-10 this year at nationals [out of 25 divers].