THE POOL DECK is filled with smiles, laughter and handstands.
Albion diving coach Emily Magyar stands off to the side of the diving well at the Dean Aquatic Center barefoot. She observes both of her divers who qualified for NCAA Diving Regionals — Wen Wadsworth-Curcuru and Mia Carone.
It is a typical practice routine. Magyar always offers something positive they did during a practice dive off one of the boards, then a critique. She smiles and laughs with the divers afterwards.
She even works an occasional handstand or cartwheel into the mix.
“I like them to see a coach having fun,” Magyar said. “I think it takes the pressure off a little bit. Everybody that I've ever met does better when they're loose and having fun. They handle pressure and do their dives better. If everybody’s having a better time, it just elevates the presence in the whole room.”
The Albion diving trio is embarking on uncharted waters for the program. No female divers in team history have ever qualified for NCAA Regionals, as Wadsworth-Curcuru and Carone will be competing in the 1 and 3-meter competitions. Magyar was an All-American diver for the Britons in 2010, but the regional model was not in effect when she competed.
Wadsworth-Curcuru, a junior, transferred in after two years competing at Wayne State. She began diving in high school after being a gymnast throughout her younger years. After COVID hit during her freshman year of high school, she decided to dedicate herself to diving.
Realizing she needed a chance after diving “felt more like a burden,” Wadsworth-Curcuru decided on Albion because it was closer to her Kalamazoo, Mich., home and had the biology and music academic majors she was looking for.
During the winter of her sophomore year, Wadsworth-Curcuru’s club coach introduced her to Magyar while practicing over break.
Immediately attracted to Magyar’s bubbly and energetic personality, Wadsworth-Curcuru knew it would be a great fit working with her as a coach.
“I liked her passion for coaching,” Wadsworth-Curcuru said. “The first thing she would say after a dive was a positive thing before making a critique, which I loved. It helps being able to take the pressure off, and having fun is a priority.”
Wadsworth-Curcuru has found her passion for the sport again. This season, she earned MIAA Diver of the Week honors a record seven times and won the 3-meter competition by 0.4 points at the MIAA Championships.
It was the first 3-meter title for Albion since Magyar won it in 2010.
Like Wadsworth-Curcuru, Carone is also a former gymnast. She started diving as a sophomore in high school and was quickly attracted to the sport.
Carone knew she wanted to dive at a small college within a few hour radius of her hometown of Elmhurst, Ill., outside Chicago. Magyar helped make Albion a quick sell.
“She was just really positive,” Carone said. “I've never met a coach like her before. She was so welcoming to me, and it really was like love at first site.”
The freshman Carone took fourth in the 1-meter competition at the MIAA Championships and 10th in the 3-meter.
Carone’s work ethic has made a strong impression on Magyar during her first season of collegiate competition.
“She's such a phenomenal athlete,” Magyar said. “So, I knew she would be good. She's the kind of person who will just keep saying, ‘I need one more of those.’ She has just impressed me every day.”
Carone credits her father for her work ethic, as he competes in Iron Man competitions and pushes his body to the max.
“He's always pushing me in everything I do,” Carone said. “He’s very athletic, so it's built in my family just to be athletic. Once I get really good at something, my dad pushes me so hard. I wouldn't be where I'm at without him at all.”
Magyar is looking forward to the opportunity to have two divers compete at the regional meet in just her second season as diving coach. After moving to different parts of the country and the world since her graduation from Albion in 2010, she has found herself back at home helping grow a program under second-year head coach Eric Murray.
The diving program had three different coaches in the three seasons prior to Magyar’s arrival. She has provided much-needed consistency and stability on deck for the unit.
“It was really important to me to give them stability,” Magyar said. “That's what I had during my four years here. I had coaches I could count on. I knew what to expect every day, and the idea that they would come to a program that I loved so much and that I was a part of and not have that same experience was soul crushing for me. I want them to feel like they have someone in their corner.”
It has all paid off — one smile at a time.
