BY MPNnow.com

March 20 was a special day for the SUNY Oswego swimming and diving team.

On that day at the NCAA Division III national championship meet at Miami of Ohio, three Laker divers earned All-American honors off the 1-meter diving board.

It’s almost unheard of for one school to even have three divers at the national meet, much less have them all finish in the top 16 for which All-American honors are earned.

And smack dab in the middle of it all was freshman diver Shawn Merlin, a Palmyra-Macedon graduate. Merlin finished in 12th place with a score of 398.20 to join teammates Kevin Morgan (eighth, 383.15) and Chris Dotson (15th, 376.25).

Then, for good measure, two days later, Merlin finished 11th in the finals off the 3-meter board with 439.40 points, again earning A-A honors.

“This year was an awesome experience for me because I worked harder than ever and I accomplished so much,” said Merlin, who was a Daily Messenger first-team all-star last winter. “At nationals, I didn’t have a clue what to expect, so making the top 16 on both boards was pretty eye opening on what I am capable of.”

His diving coach at Oswego, John Moore, agreed.

“Shawn came in as a very good high school diver, having trained in Rochester’s Blue Fins club,” Moore said. “He worked very hard this season and learned a great deal from his teammates about the college diving game.”

He had a great set of teammates to learn from, too, as seniors Morgan and Dotson both were returning All-Americans, while Moore has coached 13 SUNYAC diving champs and four All-Americans since 1991.

“My teammates are the best an incoming freshmen could have,” Merlin said. “They are so supportive and caring, we are basically a little diving family. That means a lot. Not just are they supportive when you learn a new dive, but in others ways as well. If I need help in a class, I just ask and they will help me.”

Merlin quickly developed strong lists of dives off both boards, but he missed about a month of the season in the middle of it because of illness.

He rebounded with a good showing at the SUNYAC Championship Meet in Buffalo, placing fourth on 3-meter and sixth on 1-meter, and then was selected to compete in the nationals based on his season-long scores.

“Placing fourth on 3-meter and sixth on the 1-meter board at SUNYACs was a huge deal for me, but going to nationals took my first year to a whole new level,” Merlin said.

“My goal going into nationals was to just do my own dives and not worry about a placement, but inside I was really hoping for top eight. But just making it to the finals is a great feat for me, because let’s face it, all the divers there deserved to be there.”

Moore said Merlin deserved to be there, too, especially with all the work he put in over the course of the season.

“Collegiate diving is very different from high school,” Merlin said. “It is much more competitive and a little faster paced. Getting up at 5:30 to do morning weights was not something I expected, but I think it helped a lot, preventing injuries and getting stronger in general.”

There’s also course work to keep in mind. Merlin is majoring in graphic design.

“My first semester was an adjustment I think that every freshman playing a collegiate sport has to make,” he said. “Between practice and homework, some of us have jobs, so it’s no easy sailing. I had quite a bit of trouble with a class so I got a tutor. My goal was a 3.0 but I got a 2.8. Now that diving is over I will be focusing a lot more on school work. I would love a 3.5 but 3.0 seems more reasonable with the classes I have this spring.”

He also gave special kudos to his mom, Mary.

“She has always helped me with diving,” he said. “In high school she paid three years for a club team. For a single parent, that was hard to do. She came to every meet she could make, and that meant a lot to me. I really don’t think I would be here without a great parent like her.”

The quick success Merlin has had in his very first college season also has forced him to adjust his goals.

“My future goal is to have the bigger dives just like some of the top eight divers (at nationals) did and do them better,” he said. “I won’t lie when I say I am very competitive and determined to win nationals. I did adjust my goals. In a way I had to when I found out I could dive at a national level.”

“Shawn is looking forward to our next season, where he will be the leader of the men’s diving squad,” Moore said. “He has learned a great deal from his teammates and was very fortunate to have two exceptional seniors to follow for his freshman season.”

“Coach and I have already started planning new dives and I am super excited for next season,” he said. “I guess you could say I am a fish because I most likely will be diving all summer.”

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