The Oswego State Lakers’ swimming and diving programs have seen success in the past couple seasons. With dominant student-athletes performing above expectations, sophomore Meghan Maquet is no exception. She was named the SUNYAC Women’s Diver of the Week in late October.
In just a few meets this season, she has been a top performer all year long. She is one of five divers on the team and has made her mark on the women’s swimming and diving team.
“It’s been a very positive thing for us,” diving coach Kevin Morgan said. “It’s a nice step forward for Meghan now that she’s a sophomore. It’s nice to see her stand up and take that leadership role.”
After an 11th-place finish at the SUNYAC Conference Championships in February, Maquet went into the offseason working hard. Morgan said she came in with a lot more focus this season.
“The work that she has done in the offseason has shown tremendous improvement,” Morgan said. “She’s got a lot more focus this year. The nice thing is, especially on the three-meter board, she’s coming in with that full-year experience.”
Maquet, who is from Long Beach, New York, has a lack of opportunity to train at home during the offseason. She tries to stay in shape throughout the offseason while balancing work as well.
“I don’t really have much of an offseason because there’s just not many opportunities for me to train at home,” Maquet said. “So, just staying in shape is key.”
Maquet has three first-place finishes under her belt so far in the season. She won the one-meter at both SUNY Oneonta and Rochester Institute of Technology, with a first-place three-meter finish at SUNY Oneonta.
Her first-place one-meter score from SUNY Oneonta was the best of her collegiate career so far, with a score of 221.05. She was a little less than four points ahead of her teammate, freshman Miranda Frascatore, and 41 points ahead of the first SUNY Oneonta diver.
Her performance earned her the Women’s Diver of the Week accolade for the SUNYAC conference.
“I was honestly surprised, but I was happy because I thought I worked hard,” Maquet said. “I felt like my hard work ended up paying off now.”
This is also a confidence booster for Maquet so early in the season, according to Morgan. This proved to her that she is one of the best in the conference at this point.
“It’s a great motivation for her, to understand not only did she have a great week, but now, she deserves to compete with the best in the conference,” Morgan said. “Hopefully, it’s going to continue to push her to pick up some more difficult dives to compete with the best.”
With the award under her belt, the morale will be high as Oswego State goes to Clarkson University on Nov. 4. The Golden Knights’ lone female diver, Isabel Dengos, got first place against St. Lawrence University in the one-meter (121.90) and three-meter (119.10) dives.
“I want to keep improving,” Maquet said. “Overall, I want the team to do really well.”
The goals do not stop at the regular season, however. Morgan would like to see Maquet qualify for the NCAA Div. III regional meet after the SUNYAC Championships has concluded.
“As this Saturday comes about, I hope to have another double-board victory out of her,” Morgan said. “As the season progresses, I really hope that the reality by the end of the year is that she can make an NCAA cut and make it to the regional meet for the first time in her career.”
The Oswego State men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both heads to Clarkson University on Nov. 4 for a non-conference swim meet in Potsdam, New York, with a 1 p.m. start time.
Graphic: Ryan Zalduondo | The Oswegonian
