Sports

Freshman plunges into record book

It’s an understatement to say freshman Caleb Percevecz of the Wisconsin men’s diving team believes in the old cliché that records are meant to be broken.

For the first few months of his collegiate career, Caleb has been adhering to that statement. He set a new school record for the platform early in the season, and then a month later, Percevecz broke his own mark.

“I guess everyone is always shooting to break a record or win something,” Percevecz said. “My name is going to be up on the board, that’s cool. That will be a good feeling.”

Percevecz scored a 274.60 at the Texas Invitational in late November, beating the 253.55 mark set by UW’s Josh Bonner in 2006. At the Hawaiian Invitational in January, Percevecz topped his previous record with a score of 286.80.

“I wasn’t focusing on the record,” Percevecz said. “It’s always a personal best-type thing. The record just happened to be within my grasp.”

The swimming and diving team, however, couldn’t be more pleased with the addition of Percevecz, who as a senior last year was named the Male Athlete of the Year at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“He’s one of the hardest working kids I have,” UW swimming and diving coach Tom Michael said. “Caleb is the first one in and the last one out.”

“He’s a really hard worker, so he inspires everyone to do the same,” sophomore diver Emily Cheffins said.

Cheffins is another record-setting diver on the Badgers squad. The sophomore bettered a score by UW’s Amanda Witte set in 2006.  Cheffins’ mark of 251.70 on the platform at the Hawaiian Invitational also became the best score at UW.

She added that learning from Percevecz has helped her overcome the stress of competitions.

“Caleb lightens the mood because [diving] can get kind of frustrating sometimes,” Cheffins said. “He’s always really positive and joking around. … The atmosphere of meets is that everyone is tenser. Caleb is good at not letting things get to his head.”

Percevecz’s diving interest stemmed from an early six-year career as a gymnast. But after watching his sister at swimming practice, he noticed some of the divers. After giving it a try, he soon changed sports.

“I wanted to get out of the gym,” Percevecz said. “[Diving] is fun, it’s easy, and it’s nice on the body.”

In high school, Percevecz enjoyed an illustrious career in which he won the state diving crown all four years. This caught the eye of coach Michael during the recruiting process.

“The diving community is very small,” Michael said. “I’ve been going to all of the same meets as him, and I watched him grow up and progress. … I’ve known him since he was probably 10 years old, and he’s always been a high level diver.”

Initially, the decision to come to Wisconsin from sunny Arizona didn’t come easy, even though coach Michael and Percevecz had developed a bond. But when Percevecz took a tour of the campus and visited the team, he was sold on diving for the Badgers.

“When I came out for my recruiting trip, they really made me feel like part of the team, like they really wanted me here,” Percevecz said. “It was a cool thing to be a part of. … There was an awesome feeling between the swimmers and the divers. It was all one team, everyone hangs out, and everyone-gets-along-type thing.”

With one semester under his belt, Percevecz has enjoyed his time in Madison, with the Badgers no doubt enjoying having the freshman on their team.

Next up for the men and women’s swimming and diving team are the Big Ten Quad Duals, followed by the Big Ten Championship and later the NCAA Championships.  

Even with a school record in his pocket, there is still work to be done for Percevecz and the Badgers.

“Where he jumps off the diving board into the air to do his takeoff, he’s just a little too quick in that,” Michael said. If he fixes this, however, Michael said, “Caleb is going to be unstoppable.”