By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
As Meme Sharp began the finals of the women’s one-meter event at the USA Diving Winter Nationals, the Noblesville native said she “went on autopilot” for her last set of dives.
Soon, Sharp had flown to the top of the podium. The University of Pittsburgh senior won the one-meter championship at the Winter Nationals, which took place from Dec. 13-19 in Greensboro, N.C. Sharp, who is about to finish a great career at Pittsburgh, was the highlight of the first day of the Winter Nationals.
Sharp scored 476.75 points to win the one-meter, six points ahead of second place. She earned her highest score on her first dive of the finals, with 55.20 points on an inward one-and-a-half somersault pike.
“I didn’t really focus on being super intense,” Sharp said in a story on the USA Diving website. “I wasn’t really focusing on my scores or where I was. I was ecstatic when I saw I was second going into the final and I just went on autopilot and dove.”
Later, Sharp elaborated to the Reporter what she meant by “autopilot.”
“When I say that I go into autopilot, I mean that I rely more on my muscle memory which has been built up throughout my training,” said Sharp. “My body knows how to do the dives, so I just relax my mind, and take it one dive at a time, and have a little bit of fun as well!”
Sharp qualified for the Winter Nationals last spring, when she won the NCAA Zone A championship in the three-meter event. She also placed fourth in the one-meter. This was the second time Sharp has competed in the Winter Nationals; she placed fifth in the synchronized three-meter event in 2015.
Of course, Sharp has been a name in the diving world for years. Noblesville fans got to know her when she dove for the Millers, and finished as the IHSAA state runner-up three years in a row (2012-13-14). After that, it was off to Pittsburgh, where she has compiled a spectacular resume over her college career.
Sharp was a winner from the moment she started at Pittsburgh, taking first place in her first meet as a Panther in Pitt’s meet with Duke. She also finished first at the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship’s one-meter event, and was the three-meter runner-up.
After that, Sharp continued the success in her sophomore and junior years, winning numerous meets on her way to a three-meter crown at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship her sophomore year. She has qualified for the NCAA meet the past two years after good finishes at the Zone meet, including the Zone three-meter win in her junior year.
“Competing is competing, whether I am competing in a USA diving or NCAA diving competition,” said Sharp. No matter what happens at the meet, Sharp said she cheers on her friends, takes each dive one at a time, and makes the most of the experience.
Sharp, in fact, has already set three Pittsburgh school records. She holds the one-meter record (327.08), which she set during her sophomore year in a dual meet with Denison University. A month later, Sharp set the three-meter record at the ACC Championships, with her conference-winning score of 360.00. As a freshman, Sharp set the Pittsburgh platform dive record of 225.30 at the Pittsburgh Invitational.
“Being a student athlete at Pitt has been a crazy ride,” said Sharp. “I have had the privilege to receive my education from a prestigious university, and I have been blessed to work with two of the best diving coaches in the nation, Julian Krug and Katie Hazelton. They both have been mentors to me in the pool and in life.”
Sharp is majoring in communication with a minor in creative writing. She lists an academic achievement along with her diving achievements as one of her favorite moments:
“Some of my favorite moments would have to be becoming the 2016 ACC Three-Meter Champion and the 2017 One-Meter National Champion, making lifelong friends, and finally getting that 4.0 this past semester,” said Sharp.
Noblesville’s Meme Sharp (center) stood on top after winning the one-meter event at the USA Diving Winter Nationals earlier this month in Greensboro, N.C. Sharp is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh and has had a successful career, including a win at the Atlantic Coast Conference meet as a sophomore, an NCAA Zone championship as a junior, and two appearances at the NCAA national meet. (Photo provided)