Violet Schultz
Diver Violet Schultz* (senior) won both the one and three meter boards at the swim and dive meet against Chapman, tallying 223.9 off the springboard and 241.85 Jan. 17.
Schultz said the team’s energy was high at Chapman, coming off of two back-to-back meets last weekend.
“It’s nice having such a large swim team […] We have so many freshmen, I feel like they [bring] a lot of positive energy,” Schultz said. “It’s also nice having a smaller dive group within the larger swim team to see everyday at practice.”
Swim and Dive Head Coach Haley Meryl said Schultz has been a good leader, especially for the divers.
“She’s grown in confidence a ton since she’s gotten here,” Meryl said. “[Schultz is] always incredibly kind and a good teammate, but it’s been so fun to see her come out of her shell. The improvement has been monumental. Other swimmers and divers see that, and want the same thing for themselves.”
Diver Riley Kawasaki (sophomore) said Schultz is extremely supportive of other divers on the team. She said during one practice without their coach, Schultz motivated her to stay consistent.
“She encouraged me and stayed at the pool until I did the dive. She held me accountable until the end of practice,” Kawasaki said.
Dive Head Coach Jean Luc Miralda said Schultz has had quite the successful season.
“[Schultz] has upgraded a lot of her dives, and she’s tackled them fearlessly, which is incredible,” Miralda said. “She’s been spearheading the efforts of good diving for us, so we’re pretty thrilled with her.”
Schultz said one of her personal goals for her final season is to just have fun.
“I am hoping to finish off my senior season strong,” Schultz said. “[I want to] do well at SCIAC’s, place better than I have in previous years and work on the consistency of my dives and confidence.”
Meryl said the camaraderie of the dive team keeps them in good spirits.
“Diving is the friendliest sport in the world,” Meryl said. “There’s just so much hate [right now], it’s fun for somebody to participate and be a good example in a sport where everyone is really kind and cheers each other on.”
Nasir Luna
Back-to-back SCIAC Athlete of the Week Nasir Luna (sophomore) tallied a 21-point double-double against Pomona-Pitzer, the first of his career, leading men’s basketball to victory Jan. 14. This was the team’s first win against the Sagehens in six seasons.
Luna said the team puts in a lot of work before the game to prepare.
“We all individually go back and watch film of the other team and of ourselves,” Luna said. “On game days, I have a shooting routine and a warm up routine. I also meet with our amazing athletic trainers.”
Ethan Hanning (senior) said Luna was essential to the team’s success in the Pomona-Pitzer game.
“He wasn’t missing,” Hanning said. “They were guarding him heavy, but he still hit almost every single shot and he got our lead going early.”
Luna said he has grown as a player and as a leader in his two years at Occidental. Luna said he credits a lot of that growth to the older players on the team.
“I got a good amount of minutes as a freshman, which was kind of unique,” Luna said. “I was glad to have amazing leadership, juniors and seniors welcomed me and encouraged me to take on a leadership role as an underclassman.”
Hanning said Luna is reliable on the court and cares about his teammates.
“He’s a great player, a great kid [and] a great teammate,” Hanning said. “It’s just the beginning. I’m excited to see what else he can do.”
*Violet Schultz is a former copy editor for The Occidental.
Contact Alisa Clayton at aclayton@oxy.edu
