Jodie McGroarty has come a long way in a short time.
After five years at UT, countless dives in practice and one season lost to injury, the redshirt senior from Sheffield, England has finally reached the end of the road with the NCAA Championships right around the corner. And while most seniors, athlete or not, are spending their time worrying about the future, McGroarty is unfazed.
“I feel really content, which I think might be because I’m almost done and this is my last hurrah with the Lady Vols,” she said. “… So ultimately, whether I come either first or last, the point is to do what I can for myself and for my team.”
For head diving coach Dave Parrington, this attitude of leading through example is an aspect that stands out about one of his top divers.
“That’s what a leader does, they can show others the way, not always by what they say but the way they lead by example,” Parrington said. “I’ve been very pleased with what she’s been able to do in a leadership way.”
For McGroarty, her chances at the NCAA Championships are the culmination of a career’s worth of work and dedication.
“It took me four years to do it (qualify for the NCAA championship),” McGroarty said. “… By the time I got to my fourth year here, I finally understood it, and that’s when I made it. It takes a lot of time and perseverance.”
After a strong showing in the NCAA Zone B Championships last week, McGroarty is in contention to score points for the second-straight year.
“It’s a wide-open field,” Parrington said. “… I wouldn’t be surprised if she won.”
Not only has her skills and attitude made an impression on her coach, but so, too, has her ability to handle the transitions and workload of coming to the U.S. to be a collegiate athlete.
“She came in here and was pretty well traveled, but coming to this university in another country is something different,” Parrington said of McGroarty, who is currently working on her masters in communication. ” … To see the way that she handles various parts of her life has been awesome.”
McGroarty’s influence goes beyond the classroom and the boards, however.
“She’s been great for our program,” senior diver Brent Sterling said. “She’s a rock for us … a great role model and friend for the younger divers, as well as for me. She’s just been a great teammate.”
Despite her influence throughout the program, at her heart, McGroarty is a diver, through and through. So with only one meet left, the NCAA Championships represent an opportunity for her to get closure on her collegiate career.
“I’m excited to just have some alone time with just me, the board and what I do,” McGroarty said. “It might sound really weird but this is about me celebrating my love of the sport.”
And with her performances in the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform left, McGroarty is approaching the NCAA Championships with no regrets and no fears.
“I don’t feel too much pressure,” McGroarty said. “I don’t have anything to lose. I’m not trying to defend a title. I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone.”
