Shaking Up the NCAA Diving World: Saylor Hawkins '19

Alumni Office (A): Can you introduce yourself and your graduation year?

Saylor Hawkins ’19 (S): My name is Saylor Hawkins. I graduated from Breck in 2019 and from college in 2023. I’m now working on my MBA in sports entertainment management.

A: Saylor, can you share about your collegiate diving career?

S: Every year as a diver, you meet with your coach. During my freshman year, I sat down with my coach and told him that I wanted to break the school records and make it into zones, which would qualify me for the NCAA tournament. Through hard work, determination, and good coaching, I was able to accomplish most of those goals in my junior year, where I broke the three-meter record and the platform record. I’m still working on the one-meter, and I hope it happens this year. I was also able to qualify for zones on the one-meter and three-meter for the NCAA tournament. 

A: Incredible! Saylor, as a leader in the program, what advice would you give to younger divers?

S: For diving and any sport, I would say keep going after what you want. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t where you want to be now; just work harder. Any failure or loss is a lesson learned. Stay strong and keep working, and if you need help, there are plenty of people around you. Find your support, whether it is your coaches, your teammates, or your family or friends. Just make sure you reach out to them to get in the right headspace.

A: Speaking of support, who are the people that have positively impacted your life and invested in you?

S: I would say my family. My sister Dayas and I began diving at the same time in high school. It was a lot of fun to compete with her. She was really good and always pushed me to be better. I’m competitive, so we always were trying to learn the dives the fastest. She ended up pursuing other sports. My parents also supported me by bringing me to practice and meets. They would sit and watch me and were always able to talk me through bad days and help me figure out the next steps. Diving isn’t easy, so having people to lean on or someone to support me through really helps.

A: When did you know you were going to pursue diving at the DI level?

S: I never really thought about it that much. There was a time when I was diving in my freshman year of high school, and people were like, “You are going to win state!” I never really focused on that. I just kept going to diving practices and had fun doing it. Around my junior year, I got really good, and coaches started to notice me. My family and I talked about diving at the next level a little bit more and came to the conclusion that diving was the right fit for me. 

A: Tell us a bit about what you are involved in on campus.

S: We have a group called the SAC, a group of student-athletes who support other student-athletes at North Texas University. We have two representatives from each sport, and we meet on Wednesdays to discuss different goals and what we would like to change to improve the student-athlete experience. We were able to plan some events on campus, including a Halloween celebration for local lower schools nearby, where we got to play with elementary kids. We also pushed forward a change to get parking passes for student-athletes, which was a big win.

A: Tell us about your decision to pursue an MBA in sports management.

S: I wasn’t sure what exactly to pursue, but with an extra year of eligibility due to COVID, I knew I wanted to pursue a master's degree. This one caught my attention. I knew I wanted to stay close to athletics but not in a coaching role. Through this program, I have the opportunity to work with teams like the Dallas Cowboys and other Texas teams. I’m really excited about that. 

A: Once you finish your degree, is there a dream job you are going to pursue?

S: I am interested in pursuing many different things. I want to get into real estate as a secondary opportunity. I’m also really interested in giving back to the community I am in, and I think that has a lot to do with Breck and the community partnerships and service we did every Wednesday. It is something that I tried to bring to UNT. I guess all that is to say, I have some ideas, but nothing specifically right now.

A: Do you have any advice for students looking to dive at the collegiate level?

S: I would say if you are looking to be a college athlete, the number one thing is to make sure that your grades are good enough to get into the school you want to attend. Breck did a great job in this area for me. Second, you want to build connections and relationships with your professors because if you do that, they want to see you succeed. Third, don’t be afraid to reach out to college coaches. Don’t wait for them to reach out to you. You can always send them an email with videos or your stats. Just make sure you can qualify for their school. Fourth, know what each diving program offers and find the fit for you. Some colleges have everything. Some only have one-meter and three-meter but no tower. And fifth, meet the coaches and the teams before you make a final decision. The environment and the people matter because you will be spending a lot of time with them.

A: Were there any teachers or staff at Breck who really impacted your life?

S: Ms. Alice Wright was the most impactful teacher. I had her in first grade, and she worked with my parents and me and helped us figure out I should be diagnosed with dyslexia. Without her being willing to talk with my parents, I wouldn’t have taken the tests or made a plan to secure accommodations. Ms. Carpenter was an incredible tutor who made my dad come to every session, so I wasn’t alone. He learned everything at the same time and was then able to help me at home. I really enjoyed Ms. Thorne and Ms. JS. I really enjoyed my Lower School experience. In Middle School and Upper School, there were a lot of great teachers as well. I also credit my diving coach, Craig Croaston. He helped me a lot and made diving fun, and then there was Ms. Carlson. She was amazing as my swim coach. She also taught PE, and I was able to work for her and learn from her during May Program. Mr. Harris was also a lot of fun to learn from as well.

A: What do you do when you aren’t diving, working on your MBA projects, or serving in the SAC at UNT?

S: I love to travel. My favorite trip was going to Thailand and snorkeling with my family when I was younger. I also really want to take some time to move around Europe for a little while. I also have two pet snakes. One in Minnesota and one I have at college. 

A: Thank you, Saylor!

Saylor lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She finished her collegiate diving career at this year’s NCAA Zone D Championship in mid-March. Saylor’s impressive collegiate career includes school diving records and a series of student-athlete awards.