Diver Luke McDivitt was only interested in universities on the East Coast. But his mom—a proud U alum—encouraged him to visit Utah. “I fell in love almost immediately,” McDivitt says. “The team culture and coaching staff felt right.” And with just two seasons as a Ute, he’s already making a big splash as the 2021 Platform Champion, the Pac-12 Diver of the Year, an NCAA Championship finalist, and the program’s only first-team All American on the 10-meter platform.
He’s been diving since he was 13 years old, but he was a gymnast for nine years before that. “Gymnastics helped me with the most difficult aspect of diving—the mental game,” McDivitt notes. “Getting over the fear of standing 30 feet up and leaping into the air while contorting your body is the hardest part of diving.”
NAME
Luke McDivittCLASS
Redshirt juniorHOMETOWN
Lexington, S.C.MAJOR
Mechanical engineeringDIVES IN A PRACTICE
70-90SIGNATURE MOVE
Back two-and-a-half somersault with a one-and-a-half twist from the 10-meter platformCONFERENCE IMPACT
The U’s first-ever Pac-12 diving champion on platform and men’s Diver of the YearNCAA FINISH IN 2021
8th with a score of 345.85—the highest platform finish in U diving historyCARBO-LOAD OF CHOICE
Ruth’s Diner biscuits, followed closely by Sushi BurritoWHAT HE’S WATCHING
Schitt’s Creek and Arrival with Amy Adams
Go Luke!
NICE!!! Way to go Luke. I dived way back when in the 80’s. Attended John Candler’s diving camp in Raleigh Durham North Carolina as a young teen where I learned 3M and 10M. So nice to see a UTE doing so well. Keep it up and know you have an Alumni fan in NYC!!