by Sports Information Student Assistant Adam Fabrizi
BEREA, OHIO -- Westlake residents Kristen and Katie Demby share more than one thing in common with each other. Not only are they sisters who attend Baldwin-Wallace College, but both participate on varsity athletic teams. Kristen, a senior biology and chemistry major, is a record-setting diver on the women’s swimming and diving team. Katie, a sophomore communications and broadcasting major, is a forward on the Yellow Jacket women’s soccer team. Both have been contributing factors to their respective teams’ success.
"My diving experience at B-W has been great," said Kristen. "Our swim team is so supportive of each other. We have a lot of fun together, and I think that is a major factor to our success."
Her winning ways date back to her diving career at Westlake High School, where she competed on the diving team for four years and earned four varsity letters. She also played volleyball for three years and earned two letters. In diving, she was an Ohio High School Athletic Association state qualifier in 2000 and a District qualifier in both 1999 and 2000. Kristen also earned All-Southwestern Conference honors in 1998, 1999 and 2000, and was the Westlake H.S. Most Valuable Diver as a junior and again as a senior.
Kristen is competing in her fourth year of swimming and diving at B-W and has earned three varsity letters. Her success at B-W began when she qualified provisionally in the one-meter and three-meter dives for the 2001 NCAA Division III National Championship Meet. She also won the one-meter and three-meter dives at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships that year. As a sophomore, Kristen took second place in both events at the OAC Championships. She also qualified provisionally for nationals for the second straight year.
During her junior year, she helped lead the women‘s team to an 8-6 overall and 2-2 OAC record and a second place finish at the 2003 OAC Swimming and Diving Championships. Her accomplishments include winning the one and three-meter diving titles at the OAC Championships, which led to her receiving the OAC Women’s Diver of the Year award. She received a score of 359.85 in the one-meter and a 406.35 in the three-meter event. Kristen also became the first Yellow Jacket to ever win both the one and three-meter dives.
This season, Demby has picked up where she left off. Her top performance in the one-meter dive was a 215.53 and she received a 217.50 in the three-meter dive, both coming against Oberlin College on November 5th. She is seeing her stiffest competition this year from freshman Julie Stancliff, who owns the top marks in both diving events this season. For Kristen, that’s fine with her as long as the team continues to win and improve for the future.
"Our girls team looks phenomenal this year. We have a lot of freshmen that are really stepping up on both the swimming and diving teams," said Kristen. "Our diving team has three new promising women joining Lauren Pethel and I on the boards, as well as one new male diver. We are already showing a lot of potential both individually and as a group for such an early point in the season."
During her tenure at B-W, she has set new records for three different diving events. She owns the all-time record in the three-meter optional dive with a score of 260.35, the one-meter championship dive with a 390.05 and the three-meter championship dive with a 436.65. Both three-meter records were set during her freshman campaign and her one-meter feat was set in 2002 as a sophomore.
For many people, diving is something that could appear to be a difficult sport. But Kristen has a few tips she has picked up over the years that have aided in her success.
"Diving is a sport that requires a lot of patience and technique. I was lucky enough when I began diving in high school to have amazing coaches who taught me the fundamentals of diving," continued Kristen. "My U.S. coach, Jeff Arnold, taught us about the physics of diving as well as the importance of having confidence in our dives."
Fifth-year head coach Mike Gallagher is excited about this year’s squad and knows that Kristen is a terrific influence and role model for the underclassmen on the team.
"Kristen has made a tremendous impact on our team in many ways. Not only is she a great diver, she is well liked and admired by her teammates," said Gallagher.
In the classroom, Kristen is a solid student who has been named to the Dean’s List. She also is a member of the Urban Dance Association.
Katie is a two-year letterwinner on the women’s soccer team. She recently completed her second season at B-W, where she and the Yellow Jackets compiled a 7-10-2 overall and 3-5-1 OAC record. She played in 18 of 19 games this fall at a forward position, taking 22 shots and scoring once for two points.
"This season didn’t go as well as we had hoped, but we did finish the season strong," stated Katie. "There are always those games in any sport that you feel you could have won if you just worked a little harder, but things happen and you just have to make the best of it. The most important thing is that we have a great group of girls and I really expect us to continue to improve over the next few years."
The only game she missed was to help with the college radio station broadcast of the B-W and Mount Union football game from Alliance on September 20. Working at the radio station is something that she is using to gain experience in her pursuit of a career in television.
As a freshman in 2002, Katie played her first season of soccer and earned a varsity letter. She was one of the top freshman players at the forward position. She played in 18 games, scored two goals and added three assists for seven points. Her 34 shots were tied for second on the team.
"So far, my time at B-W has been a great experience. I came onto a team my freshman year that didn’t have a great record in 2001, but we also had new coaches. I think the coaching staff did a great job their first year in turning our season into a positive one," continued Katie. "This year we had a lot of talent on the team between the girls that came in and contributed as freshmen all the way up to the seniors. I am really looking forward to the future of our team because we have a lot of talent in our program.
"After seeing what our coaching staff did this year with the skilled players they brought in, I’m excited to see what is in store for next year. I’m really looking forward to playing with my teammates next season and I think it is going to be one of our best. I’m really looking forward to it."
One thing Katie has been noted for is her aggressive style of play.
Second-year head coach Reid Ayers likes the fact that he has someone with her nature of play on his team.
"Katie is a tenacious competitor who can play a variety of roles for us. She was a very strong performer for us in the conference segment of the schedule," Ayers said. "She is the type of player you love to have on your team and hate for them to be on opponents."
Prior to her days at B-W, Katie also excelled in athletics at Westlake H.S. She played four years of soccer and earned three varsity letters. She also competed as a diver on the swim team for one year and earned a letter. She earned All-SWC honors in soccer as a junior and again as a senior.
Another thing both Kristen and Katie share in common is that their families have been major supporters and motivating factors to their success.
"Our family is an amazing force in our lives. They are extremely supportive and understanding. My parents, sister and brother are my best friends, and the relationship that I have with them contributes to all of my successes in my life and in diving," said Kristen.
With this being her last season on the team, Kristen plans on enjoying her time with her teammates and continuing to help her team toward their goal of an OAC Championship. Her own personal goal is to repeat as champion at the conference meet.
"At the conference meet, there is so much energy and the pool is jam-packed with family, alumni, swimmers, and coaches. It can be pretty overwhelming, but it is such an exciting time as you stand there and know that your teammates are behind you. There is no better feeling than standing on that podium and seeing the pride in your teammates’ eyes as they cheer for you."
As a biology and chemistry major, Kristen would like to pursue graduate school and eventually become a pediatric nurse. If her success on the diving boards is any indication as to what her future holds, good things are in store for the future.
"After graduation, I plan to begin a graduate-entry level nursing program and hope to work in pediatrics," stated Kristen. "Right now, I am applying to a few different schools in Cleveland, Chicago, and parts of Florida, so I’m not quite sure where I will end up."
For Coach Gallagher and the rest of this years squad, they hope she will end up standing on the winners podium one last time as the 2004 OAC Diving Champion.
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