All-American diver Paola Pineda has announced that she will return to the University of Texas to use her 5th year of eligibility next season. Pineda had previously entered her name into the NCAA Transfer Portal, which gives athletes the flexibility to discuss transfers with other schools, but does not require them to transfer.
Pineda is an 8-time CSCAA First Team All-American and 1-time CSCAA Honorable Mention All-American. At the 2022 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, Pineda scored in all three diving disciplines, adding 26 points to the Longhorns’ total as they finished in 2nd place at the meet. That tied her as Texas’ top-scoring diver along with freshman Hailey Hernandez.
Pineda’s NCAA Championship Results:
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
| 1 meter | DNQ | Canceled | 5th | 15th |
| 3 meter | DNQ | Canceled | 5th | 6th |
| Platform | 17th | Canceled | 5th | 8th |
Pineda, a native of Veracruz, Mexico, represented her country at the 2016 World Junior Diving Championships.
One of Texas’ other four scoring divers at the NCAA Championships, Janie Boyle (15 points), also entered the NCAA Transfer Portal ahead of her senior season. She has not responded to a request for whether she plans to transfer this season or to use her 5th year of eligibility in 2023-2024.
Also returning for the women’s squad are the 2022 Big 12 Diver of the Year and two-time All-American Hailey Hernandez, 2022 NCAA bronze-medalist on the platform Jordan Skilken, two-time NCAA qualifier Bridget O’Neil and former U.S. junior world team member Chloe Bishop.
On the men’s side, Andrew Gawin-Parigini has also committed to a fifth season with the Longhorns. Additionally, two-time honorable mention All-American and 2022 Big 12 Diver of the Year Andrew Harness will be returning, as will All-American Noah Duperre and NCAA qualifiers Brendan McCourt and Manuel Borowski.
The NCAA granted a waiver extending eligibility by one season for athletes who participated in the 2020-2021 COVID-19-ravaged season. The move served as a carrot to keep schools from canceling their seasons in order to avoid the disruptions and preserve eligibility.
In the 2021-2022 season, 5th year athletes didn’t count against their teams’ scholarship limits if they remained with the same program; for 2022-2023 and future seasons, they will.
It is great to hear Paola is finishing her fifth year at The University of Texas to compete for the Longhorns and further her education. Paola is an incredible leader on our team, both in the classroom and on the diving boards. In addition to Pineda’s return, Janie Boyle has confirmed she will back for her senior season after exploring graduate school opportunities via the transfer portal for her additional year of eligibility.