On Tuesday, February 12, 2013, Central Bucks West senior Rachel Saunders was recognized for signing a letter of 
intent to dive at the University of Pittsburgh. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Cardinal Camera sponsors all SOL college signings on SuburbanOneSports.com. For additional information about purchasing a commemorative keepsake of the signing, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/forms/college-signings.
Rachel Saunders – University of Pittsburgh (Diving)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Pitt, Rutgers, East Carolina, Wisconsin-Madison, Penn State
Reasons for choosing Pitt: “I visited the school last year in April, and it was one of the first college visits I went on. Right when I stepped on campus, I thought it was gorgeous, and I was looking for a city school. I just think it’s the perfect distance. It’s not too far, and it’s in-state, so if I want to come home, it’s easy because I can just take the megabus, which is free for students.
“I was looking toward marketing, but I’m not sure what I want to major in, and I saw the electives and classes you would take for marketing. That caught my attention. Right when I saw the pool, it looked really, really nice. The coach has a really good reputation, and when I met him, he has the biggest sense of humor. He seems like an amazing coach. The team was really welcoming. I couldn’t pick out one thing I didn’t like.”
What was the progression that led you to diving at the collegiate level? “It kind of hit me my sophomore year because my freshman year I just did diving through high school for fun. My sophomore year I joined a USA club team, and that’s when I started improving a lot, and I was thinking about diving in college.”
Central Bucks West diving coach Fred Dunn: “As a diver, Rachel is everything you want. She works hard, she knows what she wants to accomplish, and she tries to make corrections every dive. She takes no dives off. A lot of kids will have a bad (dive), and they’ll balk. That’s when they stop. Rachel almost never does, and as a result, she’s a very good meet diver and is almost never surprised by what happens because of the way she practices. She also practices - not just hard, but she practices intelligently. She thinks about the corrections, and I can see she tries to incorporate them in every dive. She’s a dream for a coach.
“She really wanted to be a member of a team, and she became the center of the team. I think she will do the same at Pitt. She just embraces the team spirit. She never was a swimmer, but she swims, and she’s proud of her times. What I always tell all our kids – in diving, you’re really not competing against anyone but yourself, and Rachel constantly competes against herself. All three (Central Bucks) schools practice together, and everybody gets along beautifully, and they pretty much take their lead from Rachel. Her career sort of epitomizes how time moves differently for different people. For me, the last four years have gone by in an instant. At one of our meets, the former North Penn coach pulled me aside and said, ‘Tell me Rachel is finally a senior.’”
About Rachel:
Favorite food: “I love all food.”
Favorite movie: The Last Song (Nicholas Sparks movies)
Favorite music: Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber
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