Staff
It’s now official if it wasn’t already obvious.
When it came to the Atlantic Coast Conference this past diving season, there wasn’t another female who could hold a candle to Molly Carlson.
The Fort Frances native, in her freshman year with the Florida State Seminoles, capped an outstanding rookie campaign by being chosen the ACC Female Diver of the Year last Thursday.
As a bonus, Seminoles’ head diving coach John Proctor was picked as the ACC Female Diving Coach of the Year–marking the first time in Florida State history that the school has earned both awards in the same season.
“I am honoured to have achieved the award as a freshman,” Carlson said in a report published on www.seminoles.com
“It all couldn’t have been possible without my amazing team and the support of my coaches,” she added.
“Our entire team had an amazing year thanks to our coaches, John [Proctor] and Anne [Olson], and the entire FSU athletic community,” Carlson noted.
“I really thrived because I wanted to do the best for our Florida State family.”
Carlson received All-American honourable mention after placing 13th in the platform event at last month’s NCAA championships in Indianapolis.
She was the first Seminoles’ diver to qualify for the nationals in platform, 1m, and 3m following her terrific effort at the ACC championships, where she won the platform and was third in the 3m and fourth in the 1m.
“Molly had a heck of a year,” Proctor said in the report.
“She doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and believes in herself, which is 99 percent of anything,” he noted.
“She deserves it,” Proctor added. “She’s a great competitor and when it comes down to game time, she doesn’t quit.
“She realizes it’s a long fight and she takes every swing.”
Carlson tipped her hat right back in Proctor’s direction.
“I am not surprised that John won the ACC Female Diving Coach of the Year,” she remarked.
“He’s an amazing coach,” Carlson said. “He helped us all achieve our goals this season and we all had the time of our lives in the process.”
