Pirate Postcard: Ben Mitchell of Men's Diving
7/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
July 21, 2014
As the summer wears on, the beginning of the 2014-15 season is fast approaching. As such, Seton Hall student-athletes continue to prepare for the upcoming challenge while also working to maximize their time away from The Hall.
Our Pirate Postcard series checks in with Pirates around the globe, providing an inside look at the endeavors that fill these so-called "off" months. Today, our latest installment in the ongoing Pirate Postcard series comes courtesy of standout diver Ben Mitchell (Milford, Pa.) who made school history in February by earning BIG EAST titles from the one and three-meter boards on his way to the Most Outstanding Diver Award - a feat replicated by teammate Gabby Signorelli (Massapequa, N.Y.) on the female side.
In addition to becoming the first diver in school history to earn a conference title, Mitchell has dove his way to the NCAA Zone A Championships in each of the past two seasons. These accomplishments are merely highlights of a sterling resume that includes school record marks from each board, ones which he re-set during the 2013-14 campaign during a meet at rival Rutgers. He has garnered at least a share of the Seton Hall Male Athlete Award for his class in each of the last two seasons.
Under the tutelage of former Seton Hall diver and reigning BIG EAST Diving Coach of the Year PJ Hughes, Mitchell has achieved a level of success unprecedented for a Pirate on the diving board. A rising senior majoring in criminal justice, Mitchell relays in his own words how he has dedicated his summer to meticulously honing his craft while literally and figuratively taking his training to new heights in an effort to remain the league's top performer in his final year.
Hey Pirate Fans!
This summer I have been training for the upcoming diving season in Virginia so I can become a better student-athlete and meet new people.
My time here has been both productive and enjoyable as I have gotten the chance to train with some terrific athletes such as the female world high diving champion, acrobats from Cirque du Soleil, a former competitor from the United States gymnastics team, a former MAAC diving champion, a 10-time Portuguese national diving champion, and an international traveling high diver.
I learned a lot from these athletes and completed a high dive from over 75 feet in the air.
The most rewarding part was meeting all of these athletes and learning from their own diverse experiences; it gives me a new arsenal I can incorporate into my approach to diving for the next season. It has also shown me that I am capable of training and competing at the highest level of diving and it is a good feeling knowing that I fit in well with these athletes.
It means a lot to me to be a Seton Hall student-athlete and I am excited to bring what I have learned back to The Hall. After having such a great season it was great to see additional funding sent to the diving program; it shows me and my team that hard work pays off and getting some new equipment can make us continue to improve as we look towards the future.
My goals for next year include some more broken records, completing harder dives, defending the BIG EAST title and to have a great meet at Zones which is supposed to be held in New Jersey next season. Most importantly, I want to be a great captain to my team by displaying the knowledge I have gotten from the athletes that I trained with in Virginia.
I have been fortunate enough to have some success but it hasn't always been easy. One piece of advice I would have to future student-athletes is to stay positive and try not to get frustrated if you are not performing as well as you think you should be in your sport. At this level of competition you will be faced with some really good athletes and you should try and learn from them. If you know that your team is going up against a tough opponent, you should rise to the occasion because anything is possible if you put in the work and believe.
As you can see, I am very excited to get next season underway but until then I will keep working while trying to enjoy the rest of my summer as well. I hope you do the same.
Go Pirates!
Ben
