Completed Event: Swimming and Diving versus Big 12 Duals on January 16, 2026 , , 5th, 781 points
Final
Swimming and Diving
Big 12 Duals
5th, 781 points
.png&width=70&height=70&type=webp)
Iowa State University Athletics
Cyclone Divers Look to End Season Strong
02.07.2008 | Swimming and Diving
AMES, Iowa ? Coming to the end of the 2007-08 diving season, all eyes are on Iowa State's Most Valuable Diver, Tien Tran.
“In diving, the end of the season is what it's all about”, Iowa State head diving coach Jeff Warrick explained. “We want Tien to not only qualify for the NCAA Championships, but we want her to perform well there, and be in a position to place.”
Tran seeks to follow in the footsteps of 2005 NCAA qualifier Hillary Nichols.
“Jeff talks about Hillary a lot.” Tran said, “It helps to know that someone else has made it. Knowing that you're not the first one makes it seem like more of a possible goal.”
“Qualifying for the NCAA Championships is not easy to do, or to explain,” Warrick said. “Essentially, you qualify all season to make the NCAA Zone 5 Diving Qualifications Meet. Once there, all prior accomplishments no longer matter. Only the divers with the best performances at the NCAA Zone Meet are qualified for the NCAA Championships.”
Last year, Tran made an impressive effort for a freshman, making it to the Zone 5 qualification stage. She placed ninth on the one-meter board, 11th on the three-meter, and ninth in the platform competition. The Cyclone also gained some important experience.
Tran's toughest dives are a front 3 ? on the three-meter board, and a Gainer Twister on 1-meter. A front 3 ? is just like it sounds. The diver jumps outward and flips forward 3 ? times. On the low board, a Gainer Twister includes forward leap followed by a backward twist. This year, Tran has placed special emphasis on improving these difficult dives, working especially hard on strength and conditioning.
“I'm kind of little”, Tran explained. “I can't bend the board like some of the bigger girls can to get the power to execute some of the tougher dives. My front 3 ? is kind of short. I think it'd be easier if I could jump higher, but we've been working on that. There have been a lot of protein shakes and time spent in the weight room this year.”
In diving, there are three judges who give a score based on how well a dive is executed. Those scores are then averaged and multiplied by the degree of difficulty of the attempted dive.
“Last year, there was pretty much no chance that I could make NCAAs, so I just wanted to do my best,” Tran said. “But now that there's a chance this year, there's definitely a lot of added pressure. I'm just going to try to forget about it during the meet.”
Coach Warrick cannot help but be pleased with the diver he recruited two short years ago. He is optimistic about his prot?g?.
“I knew of Tien when she was in high school because of the scores that she had achieved,” Warrick said. “Working at Indiana's diving camp as a coach over the summer, I was able to meet Tien and see her dive for myself. It became obvious to me that she had a lot of talent, and a lot of room to grow.”
In the short-term, all that remains to be seen is just how far Tien will grow as a diver this season.
Lehr Thorson feature
Thursday, July 22
Cyclone Spotlight - Keely Soellner
Monday, January 27
Ali Basel Feature
Wednesday, December 19
Sorenson Talks Strong Iowa Showing
Monday, December 10
