Sports

Athlete of the Week: Diane Paverman ’13

By Sirianna Santacrose ’15

For someone who has been diving for a decade and has broken the school record for the one-meter dive several times since her freshman year, one would think that it would come as no surprise that senior captain Diane Paverman earned the Four-Year High Point Diver award at the 2013 NESCAC Championship last weekend. However, Paverman was caught by surprise when her name was announced at Bowdoin College’s Leroy Greason Pool.

“I had heard and seen other girls accept that award in years past, but it had never occurred to me that that could be something I would earn.” The humble diver humorously added, “I think my still being in denial that I am in fact a senior may have also had something to do with my surprise!” A Hamilton swimmer has not earned this honor since 2008, when Todd Johnson ’08 earned the NESCAC Four-Year High-Point Swimmer Award.

Paverman’s collegiate career is stacked with awards and recognitions, including three varsity letters, a 2012 Scholar All-American Honorable Mention, and the fact that she has earned more team points than any other diver at the NESCAC meet over the last four years. She currently holds the school record for the one-meter dive with 429.45 points, which she earned at the Hamilton Invitational this past December.

It was especially meaningful for Paverman to break the diving record because there are limited opportunities to do so throughout the season. Though breaking the record was never her primary goal while diving at Hamilton, she admits “when you do break a record like that at your one chance to do so that season, it’s a pretty incredible feeling.”
Paverman came to Hamilton from Byram Hills High School near her hometown of Pleasantville, New York. She began competing for her high school’s varsity team in seventh grade, and over the next six years she established a strong reputation in her sport. However, as high school began to draw to a close, Paverman felt “ready for the challenge of a fresh start on the college scene.” She was immediately taken with Hamilton and its swim and dive program when she visited during a recruiting trip her junior year. “After that,” she explains, “the decision was easy.”

As team captain this year, Paverman has led with confidence and poise. Head Coach T.J. Davis has nothing but positive things to say about her, calling her “sharp, thoughtful, personable, motivating, organized and everything I could ever ask for in a leader.” He adds that “she is one of the best examples of everything that Hamilton students should embody.”

Though Paverman is grateful for the experience she has had while diving in high school and at Hamilton, she does not plan to continue diving after college. She says the sport “is something that gets increasingly hard, and not to mention more dangerous, to continue as you get older.” Nevertheless, she feels fortunate to have had the chance to train and compete with her fellow teammates over the past four years, as well as full of pride at the improvement the team has made. After countless practices, hours of training and meets, Paverman feels ready to pass the torch to the next generation of swimmers and divers. Though her diving career may be over, she contentedly adds, “I can’t wait for them to continue to surprise me and make me proud in the years to come.”

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