BY MCKENZIE ZOBRIST

You may remember staring up at what seemed to be a 1000 foot high dive as a child. Just thinking about those seconds in the air is nerve racking to many– but not Nathan Cox. 

As a senior at Mariemont, Nathan Cox has been diving since 5th grade and he has no plans to stop. On November 11, Cox committed to the University of Denver to dive Division I. He chose the small, yet high academically rated school because of the team and the academics. He said, “the coach is super nice and he just got his PhD in sports psychology which is hugely important because diving is pretty much 60% mental. There’s so much mentality that goes into diving.”

As a child, Cox decided to dive because he wanted to learn cool tricks. He said, “I started at Terrace Park Swim Club and, because I was little and I wanted to do cool flips.”

Today, Cox excels on both the Mariemont team and the OhK Diving team. He said, “My best dive on one meter is a front one and a half full and my best dive on three meter is probably a front two and a half pike.”

Cox believes the Mariemont team will do well this year. He hopes the girls stay, and he urges more boys to join given that he is the only boy on the team. With the season ahead of them, Cox mentioned he’s learning new dives to get ahead of the game. He said, “I am learning a bunch of dives on 3 meter and on platform. Dives in particular, on 3 meter I’m learning front three and a half, front two and a half full twist, and a reverse two and a half, and on platform I’m learning arm stand dives, and front and back twisters.”

Without a doubt, Cox is ready for the NCAA, and we wish him the best. 

“I enjoy diving because it is very fulfilling and satisfying when you go and do a difficult dive, especially when you can make it look good. It’s the best sport for me because I’m kind of a perfectionist, and all divers are, and I feel like I’m a part of a team bigger than the one I’m competing with. It’s just fun.” – Nathan Cox