State preview: Mullenbach’s return to diving paid off
Published 7:26 pm Tuesday, November 15, 2016
- Austin senior Maddie Mullenbach is in 10th place with a score of 228.00 after her first round of drives. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
When Austin senior Maddie Mullenbach decided not to compete in diving for the Packers early on this fall, it didn’t take her very long to realize that she was missing it.
After watching the Packers compete in a couple of home meets from the stands, Mullenbach finally made up her mind and came back to join the Packers and her first official meet of competition was Sept. 10.
“As I was watching the meets, I just missed it and I missed the people,” said Mullenbach. “I couldn’t think of what else I’d be doing.”
Austin’s Maddie Mullenbach dives in practice at Ellis Middle School Tuesday. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Mullenbach will now cash in on the once in a lifetime chance of competing in the Class A state swimming and diving meet as she qualified for her first state meet by taking second in diving in the Section 1A meet over the weekend. She will compete in the preliminaries at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis noon Wednesday and the top 16 divers will compete in the finals at noon Friday.
Mullenbach started diving for the first time last year to help her out in gymnastics, where she is the defending Minnesota Class A All-Around state champion.
When she first came back to the pool this year, Mullenbach wasn’t necessarily thinking about the state meet, but it became a bigger focus of hers as it became closer to being a reality.
Now Mullenbach is fitting in diving sessions as she begins her first week of gymnastics practice.
“[Getting to state] wasn’t the top thing on my list to do. I just wanted to enjoy myself and prepare for gymnastics because they’re basically the same thing except diving’s a little lighter on your body,” Mullenbach said. “Towards the end of the season I started to think it would be cool to go to state in my last year and now I’m excited again.”
Mullenbach has plenty of big meet experience in gymnastics, so she’s not going to be rattled by the atmosphere at the state diving meet. In fact, she says that diving is more of relaxing sport for her than gymnastics.
“I’m glad I made it to state. I hope I do well, but that’s not my main priority. I just want to have fun,” Mullenbach said. “I definitely don’t get as worked up when I’m diving. It’s not as freaky, because you’re spending all your time on one event, where in gymnastics you have four.”
Mullenbach is hoping to compete in gymnastics at the college level next year.
