After weeks of uncertainty surrounding their diving program, Miami has announced that they will redshirt three women’s divers for the 2023-2024 season.
Redshirt sophomore Emma Gullstrand, junior Chiara Pellacani, and senior Mia Vallee will all redshirt the season to train at Miami for the 2024 Summer Olympics for their home countries. Guillstrand competes for Sweden, Pallacani competes for Italy, and Vallée – the 2022 NCAA one-meter champion – competes for Canada.
“Competing for an Olympic spot is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these three divers and we feel that training here at Miami alongside their coaches and teammates gives them the best possible chance for success,” head coach Randy Ableman said. “We want to do everything we can as a program to help them achieve their goals and return to our lineup as even stronger divers in 2024-25.”
Miami has one of the strongest diving programs in the country, with most of their NCAA points over the last 20 years coming from divers.
None of their divers, including the three above and the rest listed on their men’s and women’s rosters, have competed for the Hurricanes this season. While Miami doesn’t have a men’s swim team, they do have a men’s diving team.
Mia Vallee, who has her 5th year of eligibility remaining, told SwimSwam in the off-season that she was planning to redshirt the 2023-2024 season to prepare for the Olympics (she’s Canadian) and return to Miami next year for her final season of eligibility. She scored 30 points at last year’s NCAA Championship meet, placing 3rd on 1-meter and 5th on 3-meter.
Other high profile divers on Miami’s roster include Maria Coburn, who has been at Miami for two years but has not yet competed; she was a nine-time Junior National Champion, a Junior Pan Am Champion, and a member of Team USA at the 2018 World Cup. Emma Gullstrand qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2022 before missing most of last year with an injury, and transfer Chiara Pellacani won four SEC medals in two seasons at LSU.
While NCAA’s NCAA qualifying swimmers Tara Vovk and Zorry Mason both graduated last year, the Hurricanes still have a big potential year thanks in part to the transfer of 12-time All-American Talia Bates, who graduated from Florida.
Miami’s men’s divers have also not competed yet, but they are a more unusual situation – the school sponsors a men’s diving team, but not a swimming contingent, so they typically compete less often. That men’s group includes All-American Mohamed Farouk, ACC men’s diver of the year Max Flory, and NCAA All-American Brodie Scapens.
Hopefully Coach Kershaw has a new contract, without diving I’d imagine he’s on the hot seat!
I believe Miami men are the only diving only team in the NCAA’s? Anyone know the back story as to how this came to be?
Money.