Standout Powell High School girls’ swimmer Kaitlin Diver signed her letter of intent to continue her swimming career at the next level, signing with the University of Nebraska Kearney at the NCAA Division II level.

Diver began swimming from a young age, starting out by just swimming in the summer in California to get used to the sport.

“It wasn’t a lot at first, just something to get me used to the sport,” Diver said. “I just got better, and I started to like it more. Because when I first started, I didn’t really like it. But then I started to get better, I got all my strokes legal, and it was good.”

Swimming really took off for Diver when her family moved to Powell at the end of 2016 when she was in third grade, moving into a year-round swimming environment.

“I started doing swimming all year round, and I think that’s when I really started to like it a lot more. I got so much faster in such a short period of time. That’s when I started to create goals for myself,” Diver said.

She remembers joining the Powell Swim Club just four days after moving to Powell, having a difficult first day before realizing how fun it would be with so many kids on the team.

“I remember the first day I was really nervous. I cried,” Diver said.

She said after an assistant coach helped her, she thought the large nature of the Powell team helped her keep on practicing and getting better.

“I thought it was really cool how there were like 45 other kids on the team, because the team where I came from in California there weren’t that many people,” Diver said. “So when I came here and had all these kids around me, I thought it was really cool. It just made me want to keep going to practice and going to meets.”

Diver said Piranha coach Jerry Rodriguez helped her early on to set goals, giving her more motivation to get in the pool and reach those goals.

“If you tell Jerry you want to have this goal, he’ll help you reach it, and he’s not gonna give you a really hard time,” Diver said. “He really made me learn to love swimming … I think whenever I get burnt out a bit, I think back to practices I had with PSC. It just instilled a great foundation.”

Entering high school, Diver made the decision to switch over to the Cody CKATs for her club career, remaining with Powell High School as a Panther but making the choice to compete with Cody’s club to try  improving in the offseason.

“Through high school, some of the people that you grow up swimming with, they’re kind of like, I’m only going to do high school swimming now. I’m not going to do club,” Diver said. “I just saw a club 30 minutes away, and was like, there’s 14 other kids my age that are at practice every day and that could push me. The CKATs have given me a great experience, and I think they’ve kept me going throughout these past couple of years. But I think without Powell Swim Club, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Jerry did a lot for me.”

Diver made an impact right away for the Panthers, making it to state every year while placing in the top three in several events as a junior and senior.

“I think (coach) Bob [Smartt] made it so that I’m not going to get hurt by the truth. He really pushed me,” Diver said. “My freshman year it was really great that I had a group of girls around me that I could swim with. Like Gabby Paterson, I remember she really looked after me … I was just really excited to join the high school team.”

Selecting her events to compete in high school, Diver was initially inspired by her older brother Kobus, who took to the distance races throughout his high school years.

“He started to do the 500, and I remember he got under six minutes one day, and I remembered that I wanted that to be my goal … So I think it was really my brother that made me want to do distance,” Diver said. “He always counts for my 500, my mile, whatever it is. He’s always been supportive with that.”

She said that swim culture around Wyoming has also contributed to her success, as the continued support and encouragement from even rival athletes has helped her be her best throughout the years.

“Swimming is a sport where I feel like everybody’s really close. You’re kind of like a family especially in Wyoming,” Diver said. “We’re very close and that’s what I like about it. We’re just really supportive. I want to say, we’ve had that on our high school team where we’re supportive of each other.”

Finishing her high school career Diver was able to end in the top five of the Wall of Fame for the Panthers, ending as the third best 500 free swimmer with a time of 5:35.21 and the No. 4 swimmer in the 100 fly with a time of 1:03.12.

“I was shooting for the school record for the 500 free,” Diver said. “Being up there for the 100 fly, I think that’s great because as a freshman I really just saw myself as a distance freestyler. Over time, I think I just started to get good at the IM and fly. I really enjoy the fly … I think it’s just cool that I can have two spots up there.”

Deciding on Kearney was a tough decision for Diver, who held offers from several other colleges before settling on the Lopers.

“I just saw myself fitting in better with the girls at Kearney,” Diver said. “I got to practice with them, and they made me feel really included. I also really liked the coach at Kearney. He really knew his stuff. He was making us do drills I had never heard of before. I just really liked his coaching style.”

Continuing her studies Diver plans to focus on radiologic technology, to eventually become an X-ray technician.

“That might change, but I think that’s what I’m going for,” Diver said.

She said throughout her career her parents have continued to support her along her journey, and that she will miss the support she’s had from both Powell and Cody in her career.