DIVISION I DIVER: State champion commits to University of Wisconsin

WASILLA — As they celebrated their son’s latest milestone, Trent and Holli Schachle drew laughter from a room full of friends and family as they shared stories about his hesitance to pursue the sport of diving.

Despite hints from friends and a nudge from his mother, Brayden Schachle wanted absolutely nothing to do with the idea. Born into a hockey family, Schachle preferred gymnastics to time on the ice, and had no desire to hit the water. Throughout each anecdote — which included the amusing ultimatum: join the diving team or return to the ice to play for your hockey-coaching dad — it became apparent Schachle really did have no interest in diving.

Eventually resistance was followed by acceptance.

And the rest is history.

State history.

Schachle entered the Wasilla High School swimming and diving program as a sophomore completely new to the sport. He’s leaving as the greatest prep diver in state history, and is now a Division I athlete.

Schachle signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Wisconsin and will dive for the Division I Badgers.

And it was all made possible by a bit of pressure from the folks.

“They forced me,” Schachle said with a laugh, as friends and family honored the senior during a ceremony Wednesday at Wasilla High. “I thought they were crazy and that it was a really dumb idea.”

It didn’t take long for the “dumb idea,” to turn to gold. Just more than three years after Schachle took his first dive into the Wasilla Pool, the senior is a three-time state champion, and the proud owner of Alaska’s state diving record. Earlier this month during the ASAA/First National Bank State Swim and Dive Championships in Juneau, Schachle used a score of 539.35 total points to notch the three-peat and shatter the 34-year-old state record set by Chugiak’s Alvin Spencer.

“It might be the record,” Schachle said of the achievement he’s most proud of. “I have a couple of club coaches from Anchorage who were (in diving in Alaska), and didn’t even come close to breaking it.”

It was actually the fourth time during the 2016 season that Schachle finished with a score better than Spencer’s mark. Schachle also bested Spencer’s score of 517.25 at the Valley Invitational, Chugiak/Bartlett Invitational and Region III Championships, but Alaska state swim and dive records can only be broken at the state meet. At the region meet in Kodiak, Schachle destroyed Spencer’s mark, finishing with a score of 587.15.

Prior to the state meet, Wasilla diving coach Wendy DiGerlando said she is simply amazed by Schachle’s achievements and growth as a diver in such a short amount of time.

“Anything he puts his mind to, he does exceptionally well,” DiGerlando said.

In addition to his athletic attributes, DiGerlando said Schachle’s mindset and drives really stands out.

“Diving is 90 percent mental,” DiGerlando said. “If you don’t have the mindset to get through practice and training you won’t go very far. That’s what sets him a part.”

Schachle said he hopes to go very far in the sport.

“My ultimate goal is to go to the Olympics,” Schachle said. “That is what pretty much drives me.”

The first stop is the University of Wisconsin. Schachle said he scheduled five official visits — West Virginia, Wisconsin, Denver, Penn State and California-Berkley — but after the second visit, he was ready to make his decision.

“I went to West Virginia and Wisconsin. I verbally committed right after Wisconsin,” Schachle said.

Schachle said there are a number of reasons why he chose Wisconsin.

“The atmosphere. Diving is usually separate from swimming. It’s a really good atmosphere. The dive and swim team is all together,” said Schachle, who plans to study biology with the intent to pursue medicine. “The campus is super nice. Academics are really great. The athletics are really great too. It was exactly what I was looking for.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.