By Jane Kathleen Gregorio
EBC Texas Bureau
AUSTIN, Texas (Eagle News) — On Day 2 of the NCAA Men’s Division I Swimming and Diving Championships, the morning began with preliminary trials that included the 200 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 400 medley relay and one-meter diving.
Friends, families and fans from different parts of the United States came to support their favorite athlete or team. The Canty family, who traveled from Spokane, Washington, was particularly proud of one athlete from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Zhipeng “Collin” Zeng, whom they consider as an adopted son.
“When Collin was 15, he came to live with us and we were his guardians,” said Jolyn Canty. Her husband Earle Canty was the swimming coach for the high school Zeng attended at the time.
“When Collin grew up in China, he was part of a school program that trained children to become Olympic athletes. His specialty was diving. Our own sons were also divers. We consider him our own son and we are so immensely proud of him,” Earle Canty said.
Ethan Canty, son of Earle and Jolyn, practiced diving with Zeng in high school and considers him an adopted brother. Ethan is also familiar with the mental focus a diver needs to compete at this sport.
“I’ve been diving from age 13 to 18. When I watch Collin on the diving board, I know how he must be feeling. It’s so easy to get distracted by the crowds and feel nervous. But he stayed focused and did a great job, and I’m not surprised that he achieved the score he did.”
Of the 45 divers who competed for the Men’s One-meter Diving Championship preliminaries, only the top 8 would move forward to the finals. Zeng topped the leaderboard with a score of 392.35.
(Eagle News Service)
