Hawkeyes Calli Head and Lydia Lehnert will compete in Omaha in the Olympic Trials.

By Jake Mosbach  |  [email protected]

Next June, a pair of Hawkeye divers will head to Omaha in an attempt to accomplish a truly remarkable feat.

Juniors Calli Head and Lydia Lehnert will compete for spots on the U.S. Olympic diving team for the 2016 Olympics.

Head and Lehnert, under the watch of diving coach Todd Waikel, will compete in a field of 52 women to earn the right to represent the United States in Rio de Janeiro later next summer. They’ll compete in the platform event.

The divers were invited to the trials after both scored above 275.00 at the NCAA Zone D qualifying events last spring.

Head broke the mark three times, tallying scores of 289.50, 279.80, and 279.50. Lehnert put up a score of 279.30 in the event’s final round.

Even with the fantastic performances, Head and Lehnert weren’t aware they had qualified until weeks later.

“I actually didn’t know what the qualifying standards were at first,” Head said. “I was at a meet with one of my friends, and she told me that I had qualified.”

Waikel told Lehnert she was headed to the trials.

“I came back from spring break and Todd [Waikel] pulled me aside before our team meeting,” she said. “He told me to check online because he was pretty sure I made it.”

Head and Lehnert have proven that they can compete at a high level, perhaps even a level worthy enough of an Olympic appearance. Head set what was then the school record on the platform, scoring 289.60 at the 2014 Big Ten Championships.

Lehnert proceeded to break that mark at the 2015 Big Tens, scoring a stunning 312.20.

The competition between the two has been going on since they arrived on campus as freshmen in 2013. But the competition could be beneficial for both in Omaha.

“I love diving with my teammates,” Head said. “Lydia and I are really good friends, so when we compete together [in Omaha], I think it’ll relax us a little. We’ll be able to calm each other down.”

Lehnert agreed, saying that having a teammate there would bring out the best in her.

“We’ve competed against each other for years,” she said. “We always have fun doing it, too. We like to push each other, so it’ll be fun.”

Head and Lehnert certainly know how big of an opportunity awaits them. But they’re also aware that a long Big Ten season looms large.

The home meet against Minnesota on Oct. 30 continues an almost six-month grind of competition before the NCAA meet. Then, the divers said, they can think about the trials.

“The trials are my main goal for the future,” Lehnert said. “But I’ve got to think about the season in front of me. That’s my priority right now.”

Waikel agreed with that at the team’s media day.

“The goals remain the same,” he said. “Get kids into finals, win the Big Tens, and the same thing the NCAAs.”

Competing in the Olympic games is an accomplishment that most people can only dream about.

But Head and Lehnert are only a step away from that dream becoming a reality.

“To compete for the United States would be incredible,” Head said. “I can’t even imagine it.”

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