Since the creation of a brand new dive team, two students, freshman Mitch Willoughby and junior Nick Stack, have taken a step into the deep end to make up the first dive team in school history.

While the swim team was introduced last year, this is the inaugural season of the dive team.

“The reason it was added is because some students expressed an interest, so we thought we would try it,” swim coach Alissa Ruffin said. “It’s another component to helping us establish ourselves as a swim team in the city and state.”

Since neither of the swim coaches are qualified to be diving coaches, the divers will practice with their club team while competing with their school team, learning from each other.

Ruffin said the team would benefit from the addition of a diving coach.

“I think Mitch allows the district to experiment with something that could be great for the team,” Ruffin said.

Willoughby said he would also like to see the addition of a diving coach, as well as expansion of the team.

“I think it’s usually a smaller team especially compared to swim, but I’d really like to see [the team] get a coach and get more people interested in dive,” Willoughby said. “I would like to make it more of a team and less of just an event added on to swim.”

Willoughby and Stack both started the sport at a young age. Willoughby has been diving for six years, and Stack, who dove for four years before taking a break, is entering his fifth year. Stack started diving again due to the addition of the dive team.

“I’m a little nervous because I haven’t done [dive] in a while,” Stack said. “My goal is to score some points for the team in a meet.”

Stack has competed in swimming events and practiced for dive, but Willoughby is the only one who has competed in dive meets thus far. Stack plans to dive in the near future. As both a swimmer and diver, Stack sees many differences between the two sports.

“Swim and dive are both difficult in different ways,” Stack said. “In swimming, you keep pushing yourself to get a faster time using endurance; diving is more about flexibility.”

While Stack said he prefers to swim, Stack likes the feel of dive better, as it is more relaxed.

“[Dive is] fun; it’s more fun than swimming,” Stack said. “You get to learn tricks, and it’s more laid-back.”

Willoughby has placed second out of five to eight other divers in the two diving events he has competed in so far. Each diver does five dives, one of each type.

Ruffin is happy with the way Willoughby has competed.

“Mitch has done an excellent job in representing Mill Valley in this area,” Ruffin said. “He’s focused, driven, excited about the sport and wants to do well to represent Mill Valley more. I’m just really proud of Mitch; he’s independently taken this on and done really well.”

As for Stack, Ruffin said it benefits the team to have someone who is good at both swim and dive.

“He hasn’t competed [for the school] yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t,” Ruffin said. “He has competed in dive in the past [outside of Mill Valley]. He’s mainly focused on swimming. It’s rare to find someone good at both.”

Willoughby said that being a part of the first dive team in school history is a great feeling.

“It’s funny because we’re the only two there, but it’s fun,” Willoughby said. “It’s exciting cause you feel you can contribute to help the swim team win and be a part of it.”