THE WEEK: Won the 500 freestyle (5:44.43) and 100 breaststroke (1:13.78) and was part of the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams in the Tigers’ 93-74 victory over William Penn last Tuesday.
THE START: “I started club swimming when I was 7, but I didn’t really like it so I wanted to take a year off to focus on dance,” Diaz said. “Then I realized I was actually better at swimming than I was at dance. And I made a lot of friends in swimming, so I wanted to go back.”
THE STRENGTH: Diaz’s best event is the 100 backstroke, where she is the two-time defending DIAA champion. “I just think for me, it comes pretty easily,” she said. “I feel really comfortable in the water when I’m swimming it.”
THE PLAN: Diaz also won the 200 individual medley at the DIAA meet last year, but this year she plans to swim the 100 butterfly and go for a third title in the 100 backstroke. “I just dropped time a couple of weeks ago with my 100 fly, and I really like the event. I haven’t done it in the state meet yet,” Diaz said. “The 100 back, I just feel like it’s my baby. I’ve done it the last three years, and I really love it.”
THE COACH SAYS: “She’s a great swimmer, she’s a great athlete, she’s a great student,” A.I. du Pont coach Kathy Drysdale said. “She’s a wonderful captain. … She’s a leader in and out of the water.”
THE VERSATILITY: Diaz said the breaststroke is her weakest event, but she still managed to win it in the dual meet against William Penn. “I put her where I need her,” Drysdale said. “… You look to see what the times are for the other team, and you put your best kids in the event that they need to be in to get you the most points. She will swim wherever I want her to.”
THE CLASSROOM: Diaz said her favorite subject is communications technology, taught by Jamie Meanor. “We do a lot with computers, with Photoshop, with Illustrator, all Adobe software,” she said. “We design different things, which I think is really interesting.”
THE FUTURE: Diaz has signed to continue her swimming career at Drexel, where she plans to study physical therapy. “Drexel has a co-op program, where you work for half the year during one of your four years in the field that you’re studying,” she said. “I think that’s what really sold it for me.”
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Athlete of the week, A.I. du Pont swimmer Alicia Diaz.
Athlete of the week, A.I. du Pont swimmer Alicia Diaz.
Athlete of the week, A.I. du Pont swimmer Alicia Diaz.
Athlete of the week, A.I. du Pont swimmer Alicia Diaz.
Athlete of the week, A.I. du Pont swimmer Alicia Diaz.