Delaney Schnell's 'whirlwind' career at Arizona ends with national title, Pac-12 Diver of the Year honor

She came, she saw, she conquered. Emphasis on conquered. 

Delaney Schnell ended her diving career at Arizona as one of the most decorated and accomplished athletes to ever compete at the UA — in any sport. 

The Tucson native recently won the platform diving event at the NCAA Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee, delivering the program's first individual women's diving title since Samantha Pickens in 2015. 

"It's a big one for me, because I've been trying to get this title for five seasons now," Schnell said. "Just every year, there were a lot of close calls, and I was second two years in a row, missed out on the final my freshman year. I think this one is pretty special, because we just figured out what worked." 

The former Tucson High Badger was also named the Pac-12 Diver of the Year for the third straight season last Thursday; Arizona diving coach Dwight Dumais was named Pac-12 Diving Coach of the Year. 

In Schnell's six-year career at Arizona, she earned a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics; won the Pac-12 1-meter diving championship three straight seasons; was named Pac-12 Freshman Diver of the Year; earned multiple Academic All-American honors; and received Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year for women's swimming and diving this year. If Schnell had an individual checklist, she's checked off just about everything. 

The journey for Schnell started when she was a young gymnast living in Tucson, but she grew tired of the sport and sought other outlets. That's when she saw former Wildcat diver Izzy Diamond practicing at a pool in Tucson. 

"I saw her diving, and I was kind of in this phase of 'I don't want to do gymnastics anymore,' " Schnell said. "I went over there and talked to her and said, 'Look, I'm pretty burnt out on gymnastics, and I want to try something new,' and she was the one who told me, 'Diving might be really good for you.'

"To have her tell me that, I was like, 'All right, maybe I should listen.' So I gave it a shot, and I immediately fell in love with it." 

Lo and behold, several years later, Schnell, the diver, is one of the most accomplished Tucson athletes of all time.

After winning the national championship, Schnell spoke with local reporters about her successful collegiate career and what's next for her:

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How do you differentiate the feelings between winning a national championship and earning a medal at the Olympics? 

A: "You would think that winning a silver medal is more emotional and a bigger thing, but this (points to trophy) has so much history behind it, because it was a lot of close calls, a lot of trial and error. I think this one has so much meaning behind it. So it's hard to compare, but at the same time, this one is very special to me." 

You had a very successful collegiate career, but those close calls that you mentioned, how did you handle it when you didn't finish in first?

A: "The first time getting second (in the NCAA Championships), that was tough. That was a tough pill to swallow, because that was the Olympic year and after COVID and all that stuff. I was very, very close; it's just things didn't go how they were planned. The final just kind of fell apart for me. That's the unfortunate part about diving: Some days you're going to be on fire and hitting your dives left and right, and then some days it's just not going to be clicking.

"It was just figuring out what I needed to do to be in the right mindset at the right time. I think this time around I put less pressure on myself. I had an Olympic medal this time around, so there was less pressure. Knowing it was my last event collegiately, I just wanted to enjoy the last competition I had for Arizona. I just went in with a mindset of, 'I want to make the little Delaney proud. I just want to make the little girl proud and enjoy the moment.' And I think honestly that was the secret to it." 

Between the pandemic, the Olympics and the NCAA Championships, how would you summarize your collegiate career? 

A: "It's been a whirlwind. Just looking back at who I was freshman year and seeing the growth I've had is pretty incredible. Not a lot of athletes can say they've been around for six years, and to be able to say that I've gotten to represent Arizona for six years is honestly a pretty special feeling. It's sad to know that it's coming to an end, but I'm really excited to see what the future holds for me."

Career-wise, what are some goals you want to accomplish in the future?

A: "Now it's all national and international goals. I won a silver medal (in synchronized diving), but individually I was fifth, so I was close and right there at winning a medal at the Tokyo Games. Hopefully the next goal is to get on the podium in 2024."