Gerzema hopes that she will not be returning home just to visit family and friends but to finish her SIUC diving career in her home state of Minnesota.

Gerzema can pick up her ticket home with a top-six finish in the Zone D Qualifying Meet in Austin, Texas, beginning March 13. Gerzema and fellow teammates will compete in Districts 5 and 6 Zone D to qualify for the Women’s NCAA Championships in Minneapolis.

Districts 5 and 6 consists of the southern portion of the Midwest, including Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. The district contains all schools in the vicinity of the Big 12 Conference.

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Gerzema and her coach Dave Ardrey hope that a chance to finish her career at home will give Gerzema the extra motivation to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

I try not to focus on it. Instead of trying to making it a goal to return home, I am just focusing on having a good performance, Gerzema said. But I can’t lie and say it wouldn’t be fun to make the NCAA Championships in my hometown and have all my friends and relatives be there.

Gerzema has been creeping toward an NCAA Championship qualification throughout her four years. Inexperience and lack of maturity caused Gerzema to fall apart physically and mentally her freshmen year in the Zone D Qualifying Meet, according to Ardrey.

She just could not understand the pressure that she was about to face until she got there, Ardrey said. It was a big learning experience for her.

After that experience, Gerzema committed herself to get better and did. She moved up to the middle of the pack her sophomore year finishing in the top 25. She continued her rise again last year, finishing in the upper two-thirds of the Zone D competition.

Along the way, Gerzema attained two Missouri Valley Conference records on both the 1-meter and 3-meter board. As a result, she was named 1997-98 MVC Female Diver of the Year.

Gerzema has followed each step throughout her four years and is ready to take the final step that will take her home.

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I would be more disappointed for Dave [Ardrey] if I didn’t make it because I know the caliber of the competition is so tough, said Gerzema. I would love to do it for Dave.

Gerzema’s continuous improvement has been helped greatly by the coaching efforts of Ardrey. Ardrey’s efforts have recently earned him the 1998 Male Diving Coach of the Year after his 11 seasons at SIUC.

Prior to Ardrey’s arrival at SIUC, Saluki diving was in disarray and experiencing a three-year drought from NCAA Championship competition. Ardrey has turned the Saluki diving program back into the rich tradition it once was.

I think I am most proud of the fact that we have brought the program back and have been able to maintain it at that level, Ardrey said.

Ardrey’s credentials that brought him to SIUC included four NAIA national champions at his alma-mater Drury College. He coached 17 Drury divers to earn All-American honors and was named 1985 NAIA Coach of the Year, leading the Panthers to the national championship.

Some people never have the opportunity to achieve the goals that I have achieved, Ardrey said. I am very blessed in the success I have had. Someone up above has looked out for me.

Ardrey’s success is only a reflection of the accomplishments of his pupils. Most recently, senior diver Alex Wright has reaped the benefits of Ardrey’s wisdom.

Dave is really on the leading edge with new techniques, Wright said. And he likes to cooperate with them in practice.

Wright was honored as the 1998 Male Diver of the Year at the NIC tournament to match his MVC Diver of the Year honors.

Wright suffered an injury in the MVC Championship last year when his foot hit the board while warming up. The injury prevented him from his second consecutive honors after receiving MVC Diver of the Year his sophomore year.

It is a great honor for an athlete to be recognized by his peers for his abilities, Ardrey said. That is a great vote of confidence for him.

With the added confidence and experience from last year’s NCAA Championships, Wright has the tools to return. Wright finished 21st on the 1-meter board, 32nd on the 3-meter board and 18th on the platform but gained important experience.

Wright’s early experiences at SIUC were nursed by the experience of teammate Rob Siracusano, who earned All-American honors in 1995. After Siracusano’s graduation, Wright put pressure on himself to elevate his performance.

Siracusano gave Alex a lot of direction, a lot of confidence and a lot of help, Ardrey said. Alex had to carry the load on himself.

Wright has done just that, and he hopes the pressure he placed on himself will pay off for a bid to the Men’s NCAA Championships in Auburn, Ala., beginning March 26.

SIUC diving team will compete in the Zone D Qualifying Meet in Austin, Texas, beginning March 13, to qualify members for the NCAA Championships.