All-American diver Kelly Straub has announced that she will take advantage of the NCAA waiver that awards all athletes who competed in the 2020-2021 collegiate season an extra year of eligibility because of the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing her collegiate career at Notre Dame.
Straub is the Notre Dame record holder in both the 1-meter and platform diving events and was named the program’s most valuable performer during the 2020-2021 season. For all 4 of her collegiate diving seasons, Straub qualified for the NCAA Championships, and earned multiple All-American honors.
At the 2021 NCAA Championships, Straub placed 16th on the 3-meter (274.70), 23rd on the 1-meter (266.90) and 31st on Platform (229.90). Prior to NCAAs, Straub competed at the 2021 ACC Championships, where she was a bronze medalist in the platform diving event. During the meet, she also finished 5th in the 1-meter event and 4th in the 3-meter diving event. She was one of only two athletes in the competition to compete in all three diving disciplines.
At the 2021 ACC Championships, Straub was Notre Dame’s top scorer on the women’s side, scoring a total of 79 points. Overall, the team scored 718 points en route to a 5th place finish.
Most recently, Straub competed at the 2021 US Olympic Diving Trials. Although she did not qualify for Tokyo, she was a finalist in the 3m springboard event, placing 12th overall.
Personal Bests:
- 1m diving – 340.35
- 3m diving – 363.83
- Platform diving – 297.35
Straub is the first swimmer or diver from Notre Dame to announce their intentions to use their 5th year of eligibility.
In October 2020, the NCAA granted all winter sport athletes the option to use an extra year of eligibility following complications from the COVID-19 pandemic. Under normal circumstances, Division I student-athletes have a 5-year window during which they can use up their four seasons of eligibility. However, given the current situation with COVID-19, student-athletes of all class years have been offered an additional season of eligibility, regardless of where they are in their 5-year window. For a detailed breakdown on what the stakes are surrounding a 5th-year decision in 2021, click here.