Diving is a sport that many find intriguing, yet know very little about.  That’s no longer the case at Mount Carmel, where sophomore Eric Correa has burst onto the diving scene in the Chicago area.  The sport did not even exist at the school before Correa entered as a freshman in 2014.  Since then, he qualified for the state tournament as a freshman, placing 27th in the state, and followed that impressive debut by finishing 6th at this year’s state meet in Evanston the weekend of February 26-27.

Correa began his career as a gymnast, but quickly realized the risk of many injuries in that sport.  Both he and his parents agreed that diving was a better alternative.  Still, Correa notes that his gymnastics background definitely helped prepare him for what his new sport.

For those who wonder about his sudden success, Correa explains that “Going to UIC [University of Illinois at Chicago] to train with the coaches . . .  is a tremendous advantage.”  Having access to those coaches and to the pools at UIC and St. Ignatius College Prep has helped me hone my skills over the years.”

The reason Correa is allowed to use these facilities and learn from UIC’s coaches is because Mount Carmel has no true diving coach.  Therefore, he is allowed to train with whomever he desires.

Still, while most of his training is done independently, his teammates back Correa and are proud to have such an accomplished diver among them.