'Perseverance and dedication': Wooster's Colleen Frantz has All-Ohio goals

WOOSTER — Colleen Frantz has never been afraid of a challenge.

Growing up, she took on anything from swimming, to gymnastics, to competitive cheerleading.

But it wasn’t until watching former Wooster standout Brooke Balas the winter before her freshman year that she decided to give another sport a try.

“I would see Brooke Balas at meets diving and it just looked super fun,” Frantz said. “I just wanted to try it out and I'm glad I did.”

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The move has paid off as Frantz will make her second straight appearance at the OHSAA Division I State Championships today in Canton, looking to do something that Balas did twice in her prep career — earn All-Ohio honors.

With a little hard work, the summer heading into her freshman year, along with her vast tumbling background, Frantz quickly picked up the sport and was 26th in the state for the 1-meter event last winter.

But it’s the junior's competitiveness that has helped carry her to become one of the top divers in the state.

That attribute was on full display this past weekend as she found herself three spots off of qualifying heading into the finals at the Cleveland Regional. With just three dives left, and needing 35 points to advance, Frantz dug deep.

“I knew I wasn't in the top nine going into the last dive, but I didn't know I was in 11th, so I was like, 'I have to do this dive good,” said Frantz, who went from 11th place to eighth over the final round. ““That dive is my favorite one and I'm never nervous to do it, but I was super nervous.

“I didn't love the pressure there, but after waiting for the points to pop up on the scoreboard and then hearing everyone cheering, it was a good feeling afterwards.”

It’s the same grit that helped her tackle a brand-new sport and compete at a high level — something that was noticed by Canton-area diving coach Phil Barr right away.

“Colleen’s talent is derived from her perseverance and dedication to the sport of diving,” he said. “The Northeast District has some very talented divers and is the toughest in Ohio to compete in. Colleen is a tough competitor and for her to qualify (for state) again her junior year says it all.”

And while there might’ve been some nerves when she first started to learn the ins-and-out of what to do off the board, those have all gone away.

Now Frantz’s goal is simple — finish in the top 16.

With the help of Barr, the two have come up with adjusted dive order from a year ago and that, along with the experience of having competed at state a year ago, should pay off.

“Going in, I had no idea what it was going to be like,” Frantz said. “Everyone there was so good, and I knew it was going to be like that, but I didn't expect it. I did my first five and then got cut; all of them were good, but I could've done them better.

“It's those little things that count at state, because everyone is super close and everyone is really good,” she added. “This week, I've been focusing on fixing every little thing so I can hopefully get some good points and make it to the final round.”

It won’t be easy, however, with a loaded crop of divers set to compete in the big-school division. Marysville’s Sophia Stramm and Pickerington North’s Sofia Frangos come in as the top-ranked individuals in a field that is loaded with 400-point divers.

But Frantz is eager to get back on the board at the C.T. Branin Natatorium and check another goal off of her list.

“It's going to take making sure that all of my dives are perfect,” she said. “I just need a good amount of points (to move on) and my goal is to get into the top 16.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Diving: Wooster's Frantz hopes for high finish at state