Columbia’s Ryan Pak Pushes Boundaries As a D1 Dual Sport Athlete (Swimming AND Diving)

In an athletic landscape that thrives on specialization, Columbia University’s Ryan Pak is doing something nearly unheard of at the Division I level: competing as both a swimmer and a diver. A sophomore breaststroker on the Lions’ swimming team, Pak competed this season not just between the lane lines, but also on the boards. The dual commitment is almost unprecedented in modern collegiate athletics, where athletes typically dedicate themselves fully to a single discipline. But for Pak, the opportunity to expand his role, and his athletic limits, was too intriguing to pass up.

While back in his home state of Washington last summer, Ryan Pak decided on a whim to try out diving. He was having fun learning new dives and experiencing a level of danger and excitement that swim practices don’t deliver. After two weeks of lessons in Federal Way, he decided he wanted to keep practicing and see where the sport takes him.

Upon returning to New York for his sophomore year, Pak texted the divers on the team and inquired about coming into their practice and playing around on the boards. They were impressed with his ability after entering into the sport so recently. Columbia diving coach Scott Donie talked to Pak after that practice and invited him to keep coming in and developing his diving abilities. Pak noted that a reason he pursued it at the collegiate level was that Columbia had only two male divers on the team, so he knew there would be an opportunity for him to score points for his team on the boards as well.

Before the season started, Ryan Pak was stepping into unfamiliar territory as he was about to compete a dive list for the first time while also having to juggle the logistics of warming up for his race, racing, and warming down all in the span of a few hours. Interestingly, Pak noted that even after competing a full six dive NCAA list, he still raced well, improving on his freshman year in-season times. He attributed this success to the boost of adrenaline he got because of trying something new, then moving on to something he’s more comfortable with which boosted his confidence.

During this recent post-season, Ryan Pak took the journey to Rutgers to watch the Zone A diving championships. Something Pak appreciates about the diving community is just how tight-knit it is. He was able to see first-hand everyone supporting and cheering for opposing teams, which he said is rare in the swimming world.

With the landscape of Division I athletics currently going through drastic changes, Pak sees the potential for this to become more common. Competitiveness to make rosters is at an all-time high, and any sort of advantage you can give yourself could be a difference-maker. It can go the other way around, too, with divers trying out swimming. Former Texas All-American diver, Grayson Campbell famously delivered a 21-low 50 freestyle for fun at practice one day. With proper training, that certainly would have relay potential at a smaller school.

After becoming inspired by the level of competition he saw at the Zone A dive meet, Ryan Pak is looking forward to his future in the sport. This summer, he’ll return to Federal Way to keep practicing and working on expanding his dive list. Pak is thankful for the support of the Columbia University coaching staff and team, which has allowed him to pursue both sports and carve out his own lane in the Division I swimming and diving world.