Cecco earns high marks at diving championships
Daniele Cecco, then of Hicksville High School, performs an inward dive in the pike position. (Oct. 27, 2008) Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
Former Nassau diving champion Danielle Cecco, a junior at the University of Connecticut, took 14th place with a score of 308.60 in the three-meter diving event March 16 at the NCAA Championships at Auburn University in Alabama.
"I was really happy with my performance," Cecco said. "I just want to continue improving and keep doing well so I can qualify for NCAAs and do better next year."
Her score of 303.75 in the preliminaries earned her a spot in the 'B' finals. She also participated in the one-meter diving event where she finished 28th.
Cecco's performance at the NCAAs resulted in her best collegiate season. She was named the Big East Conference Diver of the Year after winning the one-meter diving championship and taking second place in the three-meter diving at the conference championships. She also was the three-meter champion at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships for the second consecutive year.
Cecco was named to the All-American second team, her first time earning All-America honors. Her teammates at UConn voted her team MVP for the second straight year.
"We have a lot of talented divers on our team and we're all really close," Cecco said. "They push me to be better."
Cecco starred at Hicksville where she won the county diving title and finished in fifth place at the state championships in 2008.
Cecco's sister Lauren, a junior at Hicksville, is following in her sister's footsteps. Lauren won the county diving championship this year and took ninth at the state championships. "We talk almost every day," Danielle said. "I'm really proud of her. I just want her to keep doing well because I think she can be better than I am."
