Bloomington, IN (U-WIRE) -- With a nervous sickness in the pit of her stomach, IU diver Cathy Cardinell was staring her dreams square in the eye. After making sacrifices such as red-shirting her senior year at IU, she had finally achieved her dream. After what IU's head diving coach Jeff Huber calls "the best meet of her life," Cardinell advanced to Athens and then to finals of the U.S. Olympic Trials in the syncro 10-meter platform.

Cardinell has been mastering the art of diving for years, but this fifth-year graduate student not only has what it takes on the board, but she excels in the classroom. With an undergraduate grade point average of 3.83, Cardinell hopes to earn a master of science in telecommunications at IU.

Diving teammate and boyfriend, Brian Metzler, said her hard work and dedication tends to rub off on everyone she knows -- including himself.

"As soon as she comes from practice she hits the books," Metzler said. "Cathy works really hard, and she makes me study all the time."

After receiving academic honors most of her collegiate career, coach Huber said he feels that Cardinell is a well-rounded person, who is "very focused" during practice.

As a captain for IU women's swimming and diving, Cardinell must constantly lead her team. With practice twice a day, she said she makes it a priority to contact all of her teammates every day.

"When you're a captain, you're a leader," Cardinell said. "You need to be focused and step up when the time is right, and I want to do everything to the best of my abilities."

When she first arrived at IU, Cardinell said she remarkably bonded with teammates quickly.

She said she knew when she came to IU, her responsibilities would increase. With the motivation of her older brother, she said she has strived to perform at her very best in the classroom.

Now Cardinell said she plans on completing her master's degree in telecommunications in four years with a concentration in either sports or entertainment. She will continue to work toward her goals and hopes to someday compete in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Huber said if she continues at this pace, she will achieve those goals.

"She sets the pace in practice, is a great leader for us," Huber said, "and just continues to get better."

(C) 2004 Indiana Daily Student via U-WIRE