In the process of becoming the first NAIA All-American in the history of Master's aquatics, diver Courtney Simpson gained at least one fan.
"She was amazing," said teammate Lezly Plahn, who was a standout in her own right Thursday, winning the consolation final of the women's 50-yard freestyle. "She's such a stellar athlete. I've never really seen diving before so it was cool to watch her and be able to cheer her on."
Simpson recorded a score of 172.75 in the 1-meter diving final inside the Allan Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, good for sixth place. The top eight athletes in each championship final are named All-Americans.
It's unlikely Thursday's result could ingratiate Simpson any further with her teammates. Her personality has already made her a foundational member of TMU's culture.
"She's been a sweetheart with a great attitude and a team player all the way," said Master's head coach Byron Davis. "In most cases swimming and diving live in two different worlds, but not here. Courtney has been a positive, present force on this team, in and out of the water."
It's fair to say Simpson was equally impressed Thursday with Plahn, who said earlier this season her favorite aspect of the 50 freestyle was its ferocious nature. The race demands all-out exertion for a short period of time and then its over. An athlete can hold nothing back.
But after Plahn won the event's consolation final, her nationals experience was anything but over.
Plahn still has the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke on her docket, and she will likely factor into two relays as the Mustangs return for two more days of competition.
Plahn's introduction to the national stage was a positive one.
"It was so much fun and such a great experience and a rad atmosphere with so many competitive teams," Plahn said. "I'm super thankful to the Lord that I was able to compete and that I did well."
Plahn recorded a time of 24.14 seconds in the consolation final, a mark that would have been the sixth best time in the championship race.
She felt she improved on her underwater turns and her start in the final after swimming 24.39 in prelims.
"My coach said that would make a huge change and it for sure did," Plahn said. "My game plan was to do exactly that. Coach Byron (Davis) and coach Gabe (Woodward) just kept saying not to think too much and that's what I tried my best to do. I just wanted to have fun and swim for the Lord."
In the relay portion of Thursday's prelim session, the Mustang women's 200 free relay finished 23rd in a time of 1 minutes, 44.78 seconds.
TMU's women's 400 medley relay was ultimately disqualified, but Davis was impressed with the aggressive manner in which the team attacked its nationals experience.
"I love that they were assertive on their starts and exchanges," Davis said.
Davis was also excited that each of his men's swimmers — Mazen Hussein, Brandon Watson, Xavier Gutierrez and Raymie Matiashowski — swam season-best splits in the 400 medley relay Thursday.
The Mustangs finished 23rd in prelims with a time of 3:48.53. The same foursome came in 25th in the 200 free relay prelims.
Master's will be back in the pool Friday morning. Here's the remaining schedule:
TMU Schedule at NAIA Nationals
(All times PST)
Women
Friday
200 Medley Relay ... Prelims 7 a.m./ Finals 3 p.m.
100 Backstroke (Lezly Plahn) ... Prelims 7 a.m./ Finals 3 p.m.
3-Meter Diving (Courtney Simpson) ... Prelims 7 a.m./ Finals 3 p.m.
Saturday
400 Free Relay ... Prelims 7 a.m./ Finals at 3 p.m.
100 Free (Lezly Plahn) ... Prelims 7 a.m./ Finals at 3 p.m.
Men
Friday
100 Butterfly (Xavier Gutierrez) ... Prelims 7 a.m./ Finals at 3 p.m.
200 Medley Relay ... Prelims 7 a.m./ Finals at 3 p.m.
Saturday
100 Freestyle (Xavier Gutierrez) ... Prelims 7 a.m./ Finals at 3 p.m.
400 Free Relay ... Prelims 7 a.m./ Finals at 3 p.m.
