It took Soquel High alumna Shannon Stewart about a month or so to finally get rolling for the UC Davis swimming and diving team. But, she said, that’s just standard.
In Stewart’s dual meet on Nov. 8 against the University of Nevada, the senior nearly broke her personal-best score of 258.75 by placing fourth (256.50) in the 1-meter dive. This, nearly a month after the season started.
“It kind of takes a while to get back into the competition mode,” she said. “It’s easier once you’re in the mode of competition. I do better at the end of the season than I do at the beginning of the season.”
She took a bit of a setback two weeks later, however, in the Wildcat Diving Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. Stewart wasn’t able to get past the preliminaries in the 1-meter (53.20) and 3-meter dives (203.10). She placed 28th in the 5-meter platform dive with a score of 139.80.
Stewart will look to bounce back again in her next meet, but she’ll have to wait a little more than a month to do it. Davis travels to UCLA on Jan. 17 to participate in the Bruin Diving Invitational. Stewart said, like in most sports, it can be a bit challenging trying to perform in an opposing stadium.
“Everywhere you go, the boards are really different,” she said. “So you kind of have to get used to that when you’re not home. When I’m at home, it’s just easier to be in the mindset.”
A number of people wouldn’t dare jump off a diving board, let alone a tall platform. But Stewart, who has been diving most of her life, said getting up there and taking that jump is a form of therapy for her. She added that it’s not as hard as one may think.
“It’s definitely more mental than anything,” Stewart said. “It’s just being mentally strong and know that your coach will help you out. Basically, being up there is just convincing yourself that everything is going to be OK and you know how to do it. Just putting trust in your skills, that’s a big thing I think.”
Here’s how other former Santa Cruz County high school athletes fared last week at the collegiate level:
Women’s basketball
Ashley Claussen, Southern Oregon University, junior guard (Santa Cruz) >> Scored 11 points and dished 11 assists in a 110-91 loss to San Jose State on Tuesday. Claussen has a total of 36 assists and is averaging 5.6 points per game this season for the Raiders.
Liz Munger, Biola University, senior forward (Scotts Valley) >> Scored six points and snatched eight rebounds along with two steals, an assist and a block in a 60-37 victory over San Diego Christian on Tuesday. Munger is averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this season for the Eagles.
Natalia Ebrahimian, Chapman, sophomore forward (Scotts Valley) >> Scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds along with two assists in a 55-52 loss to Master’s College on Saturday. Ebrahimian is averaging 9.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season for the Panthers.
Tess Dominguez, Notre Dame de Namur, senior center (Soquel) >> Scored three points and snatched 10 rebounds along with two blocks, a steal and an assist in a 78-61 loss to Regis University on Saturday.
Men’s basketball
Will Burkett, Monterey Peninsula College, sophomore guard (St. Francis) >> Scored 17 points and snatched seven rebounds along with four assists in a 67-65 win over Chabot on Nov. 25. Burkett is averaging 10.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this season for the Pioneers.
Nick Grieves, Cal State East Bay, senior guard (Aptos) >> Scored three points and snatched two rebounds along with a steal and an assist in a 69-64 win against Bristol on Saturday. Grieves is averaging 14 points and 3.8 rebounds per game this season for the Lobos.
Men’s water polo
Max Schell, Cal junior attacker (Soquel) >> Named to the National Collegiate Club Championships All-Tournament first team after leading the Golden Bears to an overall third-place finish in the final standings this season.
County Connections appears Thursdays in the Sentinel. Contact sports@santacruzsentinel.com if you know of a former Santa Cruz County prep athlete now playing at the collegiate level.
