Swimming preview: Cardinal Gibbons diver is much more than just a state champion
The Class 2A state diving championship earned by Juliet Radich last season was a decade in the making.
Radich, a 16-year-old junior at Cardinal Gibbons, has grown up in Fort Lauderdale, just two miles from the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
She learned to swim in that pool, and, at age six, she decided to try diving.
“I’m a bit of a risk-taker,” said Radich, who has a 4.0 grade-point average.
“I liked the tricks the older kids were doing, especially off the 10-meter board. I looked up to those kids … Diving is a cool sport.”
Diving is so cool, in fact, that it has taken Radich to Ireland, Holland, England, Chile and Canada.
This fall, she will add Brazil to that list as she will represent Team USA in the Junior World Championships Nov. 24 through Dec. 1 in Rio de Janeiro.
“It’s been a dream to travel and see amazing places,” Radich said. “I’ve met great people. I’m still friends with some girls I met in England.”
But diving has done more for Radich than just take her to different parts of the world.
It has also allowed her to earn scholarship offers from numerous colleges.
Radich, who is interested in majoring in Architecture or Chemistry, has narrowed her choices down to six universities.
To help her decide, she will fly to Auburn on August 30; Duke on Sept. 6; North Carolina on Sept. 20; Princeton on Sept. 27; Arizona on Oct. 4; and UCLA on Oct. 11. Those are all official weekend visits.
Radich, the only child of David and Amy, does not come from a diving family. David was a wrestler at Pima Community College, and Amy does not consider herself to be particularly athletic.
“I wish I was more like her,” Amy said of her daughter. “She has the courage to try new things, and she has determination.”
Radich gives tons of credit to Michelle Sandelin, her club coach at Coral Springs Diving.
“She’s the best diving coach ever,” Radich said.
Sandelin and Radich collaborate on what dives to put into her program for each meet, and there’s a trust factor between them.
Radich also praised her high school coach, Jenna Johns, a Philadelphia native who came to South Florida to swim for Nova Southeastern University.
A hip injury forced Johns to medically retire … so she served as a volunteer coach her senior season, which kept her on scholarship.
It also helped point Johns, 25, to a coaching career as she is in her second season running the Gibbons program.
Before taking the job at Gibbons, Johns was a strength coach at a Broward gym, and that’s where she first met Radich.
“She’s the reason why I’m at Gibbons,” Johns said of Radich. “She said I should apply at Gibbons, and they ended up having a nice combo of openings for a science teacher and a swim coach.”
Johns got both of those gigs, and she has had a front-row seat to much of Radich’s diving success.
“Even though Juliet trains with Coral Springs Diving, when she is with us for meets, she doesn’t leave when she’s done with her competition,” Johns said. “She cheers on her teammates.
“The biggest thing about Juliet is her mindset. She straight up loves the sport, and she always has a smile on her face.
“Even when things don’t go her way, she finds a positive. She finds a win.”
BOYS’ OUTLOOKS
▪ Braddock, which finished second at state last year, will be led by seniors George Gonzalez; Dylan Ferguson and Robert Alvarez as well as junior Anthony Pinero.
▪ Ransom Everglades is led by seniors Nohan Gomez and Ethan Sullivan. Junior Jay Holly is the team’s top sprinter.
▪ Belen will be led by junior Chris De Angulo, freshman Alec De Angulo and junior Ben Fanjul.
▪ Goleman is led by senior Pablo Velez in the 500 free.
▪ Cooper City will be led by Derek Hau, Adriano Corrieri, Michal Michalek, Ethan McPeek, Sebastian Carrasquilla and Yash Patel.
GIRLS’ OUTLOOKS
▪ Carrollton is led by senior swimmer Isabelle Wilson, who finished 10th at state in the 500 free; and senior diver Nicolette Xydas, who won district and region titles and finished eighth at state. Wilson has committed to the University of Houston.
▪ Braddock is led by seniors Paola Negrin and Mercedes Pelayes.