Photo: David Owens Photography
History Repeats Itself 30 Years Later for Gator Divers
Wednesday, February 24, 2016 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Warner sweeps springboards 30 years after Neyer does at SEC Championships
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- University of Florida senior diver Kahlia Warner's remarkable performance at the 2016 SEC Championships didn't just bring home two Gold Medals and a pair of school records, it also notched a historic feat that only Gator Great, Megan Neyer, had previously accomplished while at UF.
Warner, the 2016 SEC Diver of the Meet, swept both the one and 3-Meter springboards to join Neyer (1982-1986) as the only two divers to post wins on each board at the conference meet. Even better, Neyer was there in person to see it. In fact, she was a member of the judging panel that decided Warner's fate.
"I knew Kahlia had been diving well in the moment, but I had no idea where she was score wise, or even that she was leading the competition," said Neyer. "As a judge, you don't look at any rankings, placings, or scores -- you're just focused on the competition. So I actually didn't know she had won until the events were over."
Warner, a Queensland, Australia, native, posted record-setting scores of 346.10 (1-Meter) and 383.75 (3-Meter) from each board to complete the springboard sweep -- all of this exactly 30 years after Neyer had done the same.
"Once it was over, and I noticed she'd won, I was very happy for her and I could sense the excitement -- I'm very thrilled I was able to be there in person to see it all unwind," said Neyer.
Warner's emotions were quick to take over as well -- both on and off the springboards.
"The finals can be really nerve-racking because there are hundreds of people there staring at you and it's really hard to control yourself from shaking," said Warner. "Once I hit my reverse 2 1/2, I knew I was on the home stretch and as long as I secured a decent final dive, I'd bring home the gold."
With both parents in America to see their daughter's final SEC Championship appearance, her eyes went straight to the crowd after that final dive.
"I looked up at my parents and they were crying," said Warner. "It was a really special moment.
"After flying halfway across the world, they were just so proud of what I had been able to accomplish. Even if I had gotten last, they wouldn't have cared a bit -- but the fact that I dove to SEC titles meant so much to them.
"I was so hungry for those medals and I worked so incredibly hard for it to all come together like it did. Anything can happen in diving and it only takes one second to mess up a dive whether you plan to or not -- it just happens."
Neyer, a former U.S. Olympian off the three and 10-Meter, saw a little bit of herself out there as Warner dove to gold. Which in turn, brought her back to her time as a Florida Gator.
"What I loved about collegiate diving back in my day was just being part of a team" said Neyer. "It's not that I wasn't part of a team when I was diving for the U.S. or my club team. It's a very different environment and truly feels like a team around here. That's precisely why I wanted to go to a high-class environment like the University of Florida. That atmosphere makes it different than diving at other programs around the world.
"In addition, we had a great team at Florida and I'm very proud that Kahlia has helped bring this program back to its standard of excellence. I'm excited to see the direction Coach Schultz has the program headed. He's an intense coach but he has fun with the kids at the same time and knows how to get the best out of them. He demands excellence and if you want to be a great coach you need to have that intensity in order to make great athletes."
Warner, a 2015 All-American at the NCAA Championships, will return to the diving well March 7-9, at the 2016 NCAA Zone Diving Championships. There, she will have the opportunity to compete for one last shot at the 2016 NCAAs.
"As much as I love thinking about the two SEC titles, Zones are coming up and I need to prepare for a completely different field of competition and clear my mind and start fresh," said Warner. "I'm not there to 'win' the competition necessarily, I just want to get to the NCAA Championships. I'll approach it with a clear mind knowing I can do well but like I said, I'll need to take it dive by dive and stay focused."
Warner, the 2016 SEC Diver of the Meet, swept both the one and 3-Meter springboards to join Neyer (1982-1986) as the only two divers to post wins on each board at the conference meet. Even better, Neyer was there in person to see it. In fact, she was a member of the judging panel that decided Warner's fate.
"I knew Kahlia had been diving well in the moment, but I had no idea where she was score wise, or even that she was leading the competition," said Neyer. "As a judge, you don't look at any rankings, placings, or scores -- you're just focused on the competition. So I actually didn't know she had won until the events were over."
Warner, a Queensland, Australia, native, posted record-setting scores of 346.10 (1-Meter) and 383.75 (3-Meter) from each board to complete the springboard sweep -- all of this exactly 30 years after Neyer had done the same.
"Once it was over, and I noticed she'd won, I was very happy for her and I could sense the excitement -- I'm very thrilled I was able to be there in person to see it all unwind," said Neyer.Warner's emotions were quick to take over as well -- both on and off the springboards.
"The finals can be really nerve-racking because there are hundreds of people there staring at you and it's really hard to control yourself from shaking," said Warner. "Once I hit my reverse 2 1/2, I knew I was on the home stretch and as long as I secured a decent final dive, I'd bring home the gold."
With both parents in America to see their daughter's final SEC Championship appearance, her eyes went straight to the crowd after that final dive.
"I looked up at my parents and they were crying," said Warner. "It was a really special moment.
"After flying halfway across the world, they were just so proud of what I had been able to accomplish. Even if I had gotten last, they wouldn't have cared a bit -- but the fact that I dove to SEC titles meant so much to them.
"I was so hungry for those medals and I worked so incredibly hard for it to all come together like it did. Anything can happen in diving and it only takes one second to mess up a dive whether you plan to or not -- it just happens."
Neyer, a former U.S. Olympian off the three and 10-Meter, saw a little bit of herself out there as Warner dove to gold. Which in turn, brought her back to her time as a Florida Gator.
"What I loved about collegiate diving back in my day was just being part of a team" said Neyer. "It's not that I wasn't part of a team when I was diving for the U.S. or my club team. It's a very different environment and truly feels like a team around here. That's precisely why I wanted to go to a high-class environment like the University of Florida. That atmosphere makes it different than diving at other programs around the world.
"In addition, we had a great team at Florida and I'm very proud that Kahlia has helped bring this program back to its standard of excellence. I'm excited to see the direction Coach Schultz has the program headed. He's an intense coach but he has fun with the kids at the same time and knows how to get the best out of them. He demands excellence and if you want to be a great coach you need to have that intensity in order to make great athletes."
Warner, a 2015 All-American at the NCAA Championships, will return to the diving well March 7-9, at the 2016 NCAA Zone Diving Championships. There, she will have the opportunity to compete for one last shot at the 2016 NCAAs.
"As much as I love thinking about the two SEC titles, Zones are coming up and I need to prepare for a completely different field of competition and clear my mind and start fresh," said Warner. "I'm not there to 'win' the competition necessarily, I just want to get to the NCAA Championships. I'll approach it with a clear mind knowing I can do well but like I said, I'll need to take it dive by dive and stay focused."
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