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Hill still learning, but excelling
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YSU diver Casey Hill
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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Youngstown State freshman diver Casey Hill practices at the university’s natatorium on Tuesday. Hill has finished first in six meets in her freshman season and not lower than third. Her performances have led to increased expectations by her coach, Nick Gavolas.
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YSU diver Casey Hill
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN — When Casey Hill was a youngster she excelled in gymnastics in Bethlehem, Pa.
Just before she started high school she was introduced to diving. She loved it and by the time she was a freshman at Liberty High School in that Pennsylvania city she had given up gymnastics and turned all her attention to diving.
Now a freshman at Youngstown State, Hill was recruited by YSU’s veteran diving coach, Nick Gavolas, and in her first season she has become one of the Penguins top divers.
In the Penguins’ five meets to date, Hill has finished not lower than third place in the 1- and 3-meter events for the team. That includes six first-place finishes against some outstanding competition.
“I started out in gymnastics for about 10 years and then over the summer months I was looking for something else to do and was hanging out with some friends at the pool and one of them said that I should try diving,” Hill said.
“I tried it and my gymnastics background really was a big help, especially with the twists and turns required in diving and I really liked it a lot and by the time that I got to high school as a freshman I had given up gymnastics,” she added.
Hill said that she really had never even heard of Youngstown State until Gavolas gave her a call during her senior season.
“I had no idea where Youngstown State was before Nick called me and asked me if I’d like to come up for a visit,” she said. “So I came up and really liked it here and that was all it took.”
Hill competed all four years of high school in diving. Two of those years she also competed with a club team.
Hill said that the most difficult part of diving is the mental aspect of the sport.
“Getting yourself prepared to just get off the board is probably the most difficult part of diving,” she added. “There are dangers in diving, getting two close to the board or entering the water at the wrong direction. Those things can hurt, in fact I just recently hurt my back during one of my dives.”
Hill has had most of her experience on the 1-meter boards.
“I’m most comfortable on the 1-meter board and I just started competing this year on the 3-meter board and I’m also beginning to work with Nick on platform diving, which is something that I think I’ll really enjoy,” Hill added.
Hill isn’t certain just what lies ahead for her in the sport after she graduates.
“Nick has been kidding around with me ever since Rio De Janeiro was awarded the 2016 Olympics,” she said. “He tells me that as soon as I graduate we’ll start training for the Olympics.”
“I’m not really sure what I’ll be doing after graduation, but I’d like to keep diving,” she said. “I’m currently majoring in exercise science which should keep me involved in the sport, but I think that I’d also like to coach diving somewhere down the road. I’ve worked with some younger kids in the summer and I really enjoyed it.”
Gavolas, who is in his 14th season with the Penguins, said that he saw Hill’s name on a recruiting Web site and decided to give her a call.
“She really seemed like a good fit for our program and when we brought her up here she really liked the school, the pool and the team,” he added.
“She had sent some films of her diving and we really liked what we saw,” he added. “What I liked was that there was a whole lot of untapped potential there.
“We’ve had some outstanding divers here over the years and we expect her to be right up there with the best of them,” he added.
Gavolas, who was named Horizon League Diving Coach of the Year in 2002-03 and 2003-04, helped Kalyn Leveto capture four Horizon League crowns. He also coached Brandi Goettsch, who was a three-time conference Diver of the Year.
“Casey has the talent to win, no doubt about it, but she still needs to get some things between her ears straightened around before she becomes a great diver. Diving is 80 percent mental and once you overcome that the rest is easy when you have the talent that she has.”
The Penguins will next be in action on Nov. 19-21 at the Radford Invitational in Radford, Va. before taking their winter break training trip to Fort. Myers, Fla. from Dec. 12 through Dec. 22. They will host the Youngstown State Diving Invitational on Feb. 7 at Beeghly Natatorium and the Horizon Championships will be Feb. 24-27 in Chicago.
mollica@vindy.com