Inconsistency and immaturity are often associated with athletes acclimating to the rigors of collegiate sports.

For SIU freshman diver Jessica Leong, it took only a couple of weeks to disprove those stereotypes. Just midway through her first season as a Saluki, Leong has already established herself as a successful diver in the Missouri Valley Conference.

With such a rush of early success, a coach could be amazed. SIU head coach Rick Walker isn’t.

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He said he knew her capabilities and the level Leong could compete at.

“We knew her talents before she got in here,” Walker said. “It’s not necessarily a surprise to us. It’s awful nice to be able to bank on someone’s talent and then have them come through. That’s a major plus.”

Through the Salukis’ first four meets, Leong, an Edmonton, Alberta native, has consistently scored near or above the NCAA-qualifying standard. The only time she didn’t reach the qualifying standard was the first meet of the year when Leong still won the 3-meter dive event.

Her early success hasn’t startled SIU diving coach Chunhua “Joy” Zhao, either.

“I’m not surprised she’s doing so well,” Zhao said. “She puts in a lot of effort everyday. She tries so hard everyday.”

The only person who may have been shocked is Leong herself.

“When it comes to competition, I surprise myself sometimes,” Leong said.

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Initially, Leong said it was a difficult transition to go from club diving to competing collegially.

She wasn’t used to the morning practices. Another roadblock, Leong said, was adjusting to a new diving coach. After slight indifferences, Leong found a high level of comfort in Zhao calling the shots.

The match seems to have fit.

Through five weeks of competition, Leong has been named the MVC diver of the week an astonishing four times. What makes that honor even more impressive is the fact that the only week not dubbed the best in the conference is the week the Salukis didn’t have a meet.

Walker said as much of an honor as it is, Leong should take it as a calling to set her sights higher.

“If she’s the chosen diver of the week four times straight, she needs to start working at bigger and tougher things,” Walker said. “Her sights need to be set well beyond conference and to the national stage.”

More importantly than making a splash on the national stage, Leong has proven her consistency in every meet. Walker has said in the past that stellar showings from the diving squad can relieve pressure from the swimming side.

Leong always plays into that equation.

“If she was sporadic and her performances were like a roller coaster, we’d never know which end of the roller coaster we’d get on any given meet,” Walker said. “Fortunately, she’s consistent, and we’re on the good end.”

Leong is hoping not to totter back to the other side. She has qualified for the NCAA Zone meet, which is similar to a regional competition. If she were to make her way out of that meet, Leong would next be diving at the NCAA Championships.

“It’s going to be a real tough competition,” Leong said. “I don’t know if I’ll make it. But Joy has a lot of confidence in me.”

Reporter Jordan Wilson can be reached at [email protected]