Hard work, commitment, resilience and a constant mission to improve have fueled Maiti O’Connor ’23 in her passion for competitive diving. That winning recipe has also led to an amazing scholarship opportunity for the WardlaLAartridge senior to attend Rider University.
Maiti made her commitment to Rider official by signing a National Letter of Intent during a ceremony in the LA Admission Conference Room on April 11. She was joined by her parents, Donna and Tom, brother Tommy ’25, LA administrators Dr. Corinna Crafton (Acting Head of School) and Mike Romeo (Athletic Director) and Rider swimming and diving coach Steve Fletcher.
“I’m extremely excited. I’ve always wanted to go to college for diving and being able to go D1 is just amazing,” Maiti said. “I started diving when I was 8. I did it for fun and it was just a recreational activity. When I first started, I didn’t think I would go this far with it.”
Maiti has encountered many roadblocks and overcome her share of obstacles on her journey to a Division 1 athletic career, including the pandemic, which made it very difficult to find places to train. She’s also fought back from injuries with a determination to compete, even with a broken foot.
“She amazes me every day and the amount of determination she has,” Donna O’Connor said. “Diving wasn’t always her main goal. When she got injured, it became her main goal and she realized how much she wanted it. Watching her train through injuries and COVID, not having a team and being shut out of Princeton for 2½ years, going everywhere from Indiana to Pennsylvania to get time on the board, and watching her not give up with all the highs and lows and the injuries has been inspirational.”
A two-time NJSIAA medalist and winner of many big invitational meets in the past season, Maiti weighed a few options but found a great match in Rider. She’s thrilled to be close to home, where her parents and biggest fans will be able to watch her compete. She also loved the vibe of the Rider team during her visit.
“It’s close to home, which is a good thing, and I really love the team dynamic there. The whole team, swimming and diving is like one big family. Everyone was super nice and it seems like a great environment. I think I’ll fit in pretty well,” she said.
“Our diving coaches recognized her talent and I had the opportunity watch Maiti at practice and I recognized right away what they saw in her technically,” Rider coach Steve Fletcher said. “She’s very passionate about diving. Our diving coaches knew she would be a force in our conference and she has potential at the regional and national level in the NCAA. We’re really thrilled that she’s coming to Rider.
Maiti recognizes that the skill level of her competitors will continue to climb when she dives into the collegiate pool. She remains focused on herself and her goal to improve with every competition.
“My goal is to just beat myself,” Maiti said. “I just want to come out of every meet feeling like I did better than the last meet. That could be better scores or just doing things better on certain dives. I just want to continue to improve. Even if I’m not on the podium every time, as long as I’m doing better than the last time, that’s pretty much my goal.”
Tom O’Connor is looking forward to continuing to watch his daughter mature as a competitor and young adult. Maiti’s experience in diving has been valuable beyond the pool.
“I’ve always believed she can overcome the challenges,” Tom O’Connor said. “I still believe she can reach any level she chooses to reach in all aspects of life, and I’m looking forward to watching.”
“This is the outcome you dream of,” LA athletic director Mike Romeo said. “A lot of kids come in as freshmen hoping this will happen, but very few get this opportunity. This is a tribute to the hard work, dedication and the kind of kid she is. Maiti was her own biggest critic and she always focused on diving better and it really showed in her development. She will keep getting better. Her best diving is still ahead of her.”