As October rolls around, seniors are beginning to think about their post high school plans. Senior Stephanie Avram has made her decision to commit to University of Iowa to continue her academic and athletic career in swimming and diving.
“I have always wanted to compete for a sport in college, and once I found out I could compete for a D1 diving team in the Big Ten, my mind was pretty much set on making that happen. After hard deliberation with my parents on where I wanted to spend the next four years of my diving career, I ultimately decided to pick a place where I knew I would get the best opportunities and experience as a college athlete,” Avram said.
Deciding where to attend college can be very stress-inducing, as there are many aspects that go into picking the right school that suits you best. For Avram, the University of Iowa sparked interest for her.
“After visiting the University of Iowa and comparing it to other schools I talked to and visited, it really stood out to me in terms of coaching and overall environment. Additionally, I wanted to stay somewhat close to home and be on a campus that provided me with everything that I would need as a student-athlete. University of Iowa’s facilities as well as attention to their athletes made me feel like it would be a place where they would help me reach my full potential,” Avram said.
Prior to being involved in swimming and diving, Avram was a competitive gymnast for thirteen years. Gymnastics has been a great help in improving her diving skills.
With the diving season on its feet, Avram has been ready to make her mark during her senior year. Avram has already broken two school diving records, the six dive and the eleven dive.
“At the first dual meet of the season against GBS, [Glenbrook South] I broke the six dive record with a 241.95. The previous record was a 236.2 from 2005. That weekend, at the Early Bird Invite at West, I broke the eleven dive record with a 457.65. The previous record was a 399.4 in 2006,” Avram said.
Many of Avram’s teammates look up to her and all she has done.
“Stephanie is really great at practice, she always has amazing energy and knows how to bring the mood up during practice. Practicing with someone who has club experience is really good because we learn a lot by watching her visually. Overall, she is a very sweet person and seeing her break out school record was truly amazing and inspiring,” junior Hayley Nguyen said.
Though Avram has already accomplished so much within the first months of the school year, she holds a strong mindset filled with hope.
“My goals going into this season were to enjoy my senior year, set some new records and earn a spot at state. So far I’ve reached my goals breaking the records, but there is still a lot of work left for me to do in order to be successful at the end of the season,” Avram said.
Other teammates recognize Avram’s work ethic and strive to be as strong as her.
“Stephanie inspires us all with her dedication to her sport. She is an amazing athlete and teammate,” senior Ena Tihic said.
Along with breaking the record, Avram recalls other achievements and memories she’s experienced so far.
“My best achievements in diving are making it to the USA Nationals this summer for Platform diving and committing to University of Iowa to compete D1 in the Big Ten. The best memories I’ve had are all the places I’ve gotten to travel to for competitions,” Avram said. “I’m looking forward to figuring out my career path and becoming the best diver I can be. It’s so exciting to start planning out my future as a Hawkeye and I’m looking forward to all the new experiences ahead of me.”
Best of luck to Stephanie as she gets ready to take on the next chapter of her life!
