Tricia Grant of the Oakland University women’s swimming and diving team has completed her run at the 2014 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.

Grant is the first Horizon League and Golden Grizzly women’s swimmer and diver in Division I history to participate in the NCAA Championships. 

Grant placed 31st in the 1-meter springboard on March 20, and 25th in the 3-meter springboard the next day with a score of 297.90. 

“Overall, it was a great experience; we will use what we learned here and see what we can do next season,” Oakland diving coach Larry Albright said in an interview with OUGrizzlies.com.

“To finish 25th in the country is quite an achievement.”

Growing up in West Bloomfield Grant attributes her success to the dedication and drive.

“I had a very dedicated mother,” she said. “I had figure skating practice at 5:30 in the morning, then after school I would go to dance, and then I would go to gymnastics, for about 12 years.”

Road to the championships

Grant had to place top-four in the Midwest in a pool of 40 to move onto NCAAs. 

The 1-meter was Grant’s best chance to place highly. Instead of dwelling on her disappointment in the 1-meter, Grant decided to just have fun for the 3-meter event. 

“I just started nailing my dives, and that went on for 12 dives in a row,” she said. “I finished fourth in 3-meter and I looked at the screen and kept starring at it.” 

The passion for swimming

Grant called the experience a dream come true. 

“I set these goals for myself every year, and it was motivating,” she said. “I haven’t set a goal I haven’t achieved yet.”

The passion for swimming, however came from a different source. While in middle school, Grant’s biology teacher got word that she was a gymnast. The teacher happened to be the high school diving coach, so he recruited Grant to be a part of the team.

Success however did not come over night.

“I was really bad when I started,” Grant said. “I had already dove for a year and I did bad so I quit. My gymnastics teammate Claire was going to dive so she made me do it with her, she signed me up without telling me.” 

Because of that initiative, Grant views that teammate as someone who has played a big role in her success.

After her recommitment to the sport, Grant went on to experience many levels of success, starting in high school where she was a four-year letter winner under coach Nic Freyliek, three-time league champion, as well as being named team captain and earning all-state honors in her senior campaign.

A part of the team

To achieve the level of success she has reached, Grant decided when she recommitted to get involved with a club team. The club team’s coach was none other than OU’s Albright.

“I got into the game late,” Grant said. “I started with (Albright) when I was 16, and a lot of these divers have been doing this since they were six, some of the women have been doing it for over 17 years at the NCAA level.”

Grant’s profile has continued to grow with experience. Some of her other accomplishments at the collegiate level include the 2013 Summit League Diving MVP, Diver of the Year and winning all-league honors. 

But for Grant, her success story has yet to end. The swimmer remains humble, but is hungry for more.

Grant continues to set more goals to achieve for the future with an attitude of determination.

“If you find something you love and put 100 percent in all the time, success will follow,” she said.

“I stay hungry for more, I have not peaked. I’m not as good as I’m going to get, I know I only have a limited amount of years to get as good as I’m going to get.

“I want to do everything I can to make that time worth it.”