Ashlee Erickson is diving into success.
Erickson, a senior on the UNM diving team, has already been named the MWC Diver of the Week twice this season.
She said it’s great to see all of her hard work from the past three years finally showing in her senior season.
“I have learned from a lot of trial and tribulations from the previous years,” she said. “It’s good that in my senior year everything is coming together.”
Erickson has been nothing short of dominant in the 1- and 3-meter diving events this year.
In the five meets she has participated in this season, she has won the 1-meter dive four times and the 3-meter dive three times.
After her first meet of the year against Air Force, her score for the 1- and 3- meter dives already qualified her for the NCAA zone meet at the end of the season.
“I am proud of myself and I am excited for what I have done so far,” Erickson said, “but I am going to continue to work hard and improve.”
The other senior diver for the Lobos, Aubrey Bush, has yet to dive this season because of an injury. The rest of the team is comprised of just three sophomores and one freshman, so Erickson is the leader of the team.
Head coach Tracy Ljone said she is happy to see Erickson diving well to make up for Bush’s absence.
“She is fantastic,” she said. “She just has stepped up this year because we haven’t had Aubrey.”
Erickson picked up her first MWC Diver of the Week award for the week of Oct. 13, and went on to win it again the following week.
Ljone said it has been years since a diver has picked up this many awards in the early part of the season.
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“It’s great,” she said. “We haven’t had that since about five years ago, and she went on to become an All-American. I think she will be up for it this week and I hope it continues the rest of the season.”
With the MWC conference championships next February and the NCAA zone meet not until next March, Erickson has a few months left to keep up her diving form.
Ljone said she is not worried about Erickson peaking too early in the season because she expects her to get even better as the year goes on.
“She trains hard and she is a senior and is really competitive, especially with herself,” she said. “I think she is going to continue to push herself the whole year.”
Erickson said that she is going to continue to improve so she can complete her goal at the NCAA zone meet.
“I just have to keep moving toward my next goal and working hard, not only in diving but (in) school as well,” she said.
