Woodard Adds Two Divers to Roster
6/16/2020 1:00:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Incoming freshmen fill out Rams’ diving card
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – After signing five swimmers in the early period, Colorado State women's swimming and diving coach Christopher Woodard and head diving coach Chris Bergere turned their focus to the diving well, adding a pair of incoming freshmen to round out the Rams' diving card.
The additions of Jozie Meitz and Braeden Shaffer add depth to Bergere's roster, topped by returning NCAA Zones qualifiers Skylar Williams and Rachel Holland. The Rams placed fifth at the Mountain West Championships in February with an all-time best team score in the current 24-place format.
Meitz and Shaffer carry an impressive slate of athletic achievements with a host of state placings, and academic punch as well, carrying on the tradition of a program which has held a perfect Academic Placement Ranking for six of the past five seasons.
"We are so excited about our newest additions to the Ram Swim & Dive program," Woodard said. "We wanted to find athletes who had a great passion for their studies, were great teammates with tremendous discipline and have scoring potential. We truly believe Braeden and Jozie all have these characteristics that our team and staff highly value."
Jozie Meitz |Minneapolis, Minn. | Edina High School
She consistently moved up the state ladder while competing in high school. A four-time state placer, she moved from 11th her freshman season to fourth as a senior. She was a team captain as a senior, with her squad winning the team state title all four of her seasons. She earned six varsity letters, was all-conference each season, and all-state as a junior and senior while earning All-American consideration. An Academic All-American, she earned three volunteer service letters. She competed for North Star Diving in the club season, with a personal-best score of 298.70 (six dives) and 443.35 (11 dives) on the 1-meter springboard.
Why she chose CSU – "I chose CSU because of the amazing atmosphere of the team and school. Everyone was very welcoming, and it was the perfect balance of everything I was looking for in a school."
Coach Bergere – "I'm excited to have such a talented prospect as Jozie. Her coach stresses fundamentals and good mechanics, because he knows they are the building blocks to more difficult dives performed well. I have seen her dive and know with continued training and strength conditioning she will blossom in our program. "
Braeden Shaffer | San Antonio, Texas | Claudia Taylor Johnson High School
A four-time state placer, Shaffer was a three-time district champion and a regional champion 2018. She has also won South Zone TISCA championships on both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards in her time as a prep, qualifying for the 2017 USA National Championships, as well as the USA Diving Zone B meet three times. In 2018 and 2019, she was named the San Antonio Express Girls Diver of the Year. Her accomplishments extend into the classroom, where she was a member of the National Honor Society, HOSA and was a Summa Cum Laude graduate.
Why she chose CSU – "I chose Colorado State because not only does it offer me what I wish to accomplish within the medical field, but I've never seen a team bond so close like the one here."
Coach Bergere – "Braeden has many of the skills and assets, setting her up to be successful at the collegiate level. She is strong, flexible and has a great toe point! She also comes from a competitive gymnastics background which will complement here diving."
The additions of Jozie Meitz and Braeden Shaffer add depth to Bergere's roster, topped by returning NCAA Zones qualifiers Skylar Williams and Rachel Holland. The Rams placed fifth at the Mountain West Championships in February with an all-time best team score in the current 24-place format.
Meitz and Shaffer carry an impressive slate of athletic achievements with a host of state placings, and academic punch as well, carrying on the tradition of a program which has held a perfect Academic Placement Ranking for six of the past five seasons.
"We are so excited about our newest additions to the Ram Swim & Dive program," Woodard said. "We wanted to find athletes who had a great passion for their studies, were great teammates with tremendous discipline and have scoring potential. We truly believe Braeden and Jozie all have these characteristics that our team and staff highly value."
Jozie Meitz |Minneapolis, Minn. | Edina High School
She consistently moved up the state ladder while competing in high school. A four-time state placer, she moved from 11th her freshman season to fourth as a senior. She was a team captain as a senior, with her squad winning the team state title all four of her seasons. She earned six varsity letters, was all-conference each season, and all-state as a junior and senior while earning All-American consideration. An Academic All-American, she earned three volunteer service letters. She competed for North Star Diving in the club season, with a personal-best score of 298.70 (six dives) and 443.35 (11 dives) on the 1-meter springboard.
Why she chose CSU – "I chose CSU because of the amazing atmosphere of the team and school. Everyone was very welcoming, and it was the perfect balance of everything I was looking for in a school."
Coach Bergere – "I'm excited to have such a talented prospect as Jozie. Her coach stresses fundamentals and good mechanics, because he knows they are the building blocks to more difficult dives performed well. I have seen her dive and know with continued training and strength conditioning she will blossom in our program. "
Braeden Shaffer | San Antonio, Texas | Claudia Taylor Johnson High School
A four-time state placer, Shaffer was a three-time district champion and a regional champion 2018. She has also won South Zone TISCA championships on both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards in her time as a prep, qualifying for the 2017 USA National Championships, as well as the USA Diving Zone B meet three times. In 2018 and 2019, she was named the San Antonio Express Girls Diver of the Year. Her accomplishments extend into the classroom, where she was a member of the National Honor Society, HOSA and was a Summa Cum Laude graduate.
Why she chose CSU – "I chose Colorado State because not only does it offer me what I wish to accomplish within the medical field, but I've never seen a team bond so close like the one here."
Coach Bergere – "Braeden has many of the skills and assets, setting her up to be successful at the collegiate level. She is strong, flexible and has a great toe point! She also comes from a competitive gymnastics background which will complement here diving."
- CSURams.com -