Diving became a part of Christina Nunez-Wood’s life at around age nine.
Her neighbor had a pool in his backyard with a diving board and she used it often, doing flips and jumping around. Her neighbor was a diver in high school and thought she would be a great diver if she joined a team and was coached properly.
“The thrill of learning new dives and flipping through the air,” Nunez-Wood said, when asked what her favorite thing about diving is.
While attending Bear Creek High School in Colorado, she was a two-year letter winner, and was a member of the Mile High Dive Club her senior year. After high school, she was recruited by Eastern Michigan University, The University of New Mexico and Miami of Ohio University.
Nunez-Wood said she chose EMU because it was the best fit for her.
“I took all three of my recruiting trips and decided on EMU because the team was great,” Nunez-Wood said. “The coach was the perfect fit, and I was offered the most money by this particular school.”
It was a great choice because she feels her diving has improved immensely since being here at EMU.
Now a junior, Nunez-Wood has earned many awards.
“While I have been diving I have earned quite a few metals and honors,” she said. “Not only because my coaches are so amazing, but because my family is my main support system. I made it to the finals at our conference meet when I was a freshman, which was really exciting for my team and me.”
She has had a good season so far and in seasons past. This season she placed second on the three-meter boards against Miami and second place on the three-meter boards against Wayne State.
During the 2010-2011 season, she scored the 11th best score for the Mid-American Conference three-meter dive and placed ninth on the one-meter boards at the 2011 MAC Championships. She had the MAC’s third-best NCAA Zone Consideration mark on the one-meter boards against Xavier.
During the 2009-2010 season she took fourth place on the one-meter boards at the 2010 MAC Championships, third against Wayne State on the one-meter dive and earned fourth on the three-meter board against Miami.
“My favorite part about this team is being able to be a part of a close knit family away from home,” Nunez-Wood said.
Her favorite memory from diving is when she went to an away meet with her club team to Nebraska. They all drove in one 12-passenger van for seven hours. It was a fun trip for her because the team got very close and did extremely well at the meet.
Nunez-Wood is currently a junior at EMU and is pursuing a degree in social work. She plans on graduating and moving back to Colorado.
Something most people don’t know about her is that she loves to watch scary movies, and she doesn’t like being on nor having a Facebook.
The 2011-2012 regular season is coming to an end, and that means the Mid-American Conference Championships are set to begin.
The women’s swimming and diving team travels to Ohio on February 23rd to compete in the championships and looks to improve on its fourth-place finish from the 2010-11 season.
