RIO GRANDE VALLEY – When asked about the NCAA Zone "D" Diving Championships, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) freshman Manou Meulebeek responded candidly, "It's the biggest competition of my life."
 
Growing up in the Netherlands, Meulebeek started diving at the age of six following in the footsteps of her older brother, Tycho Meulebeek. Together, the Meulebeek siblings tore through national competitions winning at least 30 youth national championships combined.
 
Manou continued to broaden her horizons competing at major international events throughout Europe including the Eindhoven Diving Cup, one of the largest European diving competitions, where she earned two bronze medals in Feb. 2024.
 
"It was really special, especially because I didn't expect it," Meulebeek said. "I was coming off an injury and this was my first competition back. To win two bronze medals, it was really special."
 
This competition capped the end of an illustrious youth career. However, Meulebeek wasn't quite ready for her diving career to come to an end.
 
In a practice commonly known for international student-athletes, Meulebeek found an international agency that would help her get in touch with college diving coaches in the United States.
 
Newly hired UTRGV diving coach, Jennifer Mangum, was on the receiving end of an email which introduced her to Meulebeek.
 
"The service reached out to us, looking for places where their student-athletes could compete," Mangum said. "The first time I spoke with Manou was on the phone, and the very first time we spoke, I felt like there was a real connection."
 
Meulebeek signed with UTRGV at the end of May and arrived in the Valley in August with a class of 17 other student-athletes ready to launch the UTRGV Swimming & Diving program in its first season of NCAA DI competition.
 
For the first couple months, she took part in helping start traditions for the program, finding a routine, bonding with her teammates, and adjusting to her new home.
 
"I thought the transition would be harder, but I have really good friends at UTRGV," Meulebeek said. "I love diving, and I love the school."
 
Even though the season had just begun, Meulebeek's talent was undeniable.
 
"One of the things I noticed immediately about Manou was her jumping ability," Mangum said. "She gets very high on the springboard and is very strong and powerful."
 
Her talent again shined in UTRGV's first meet of the season, a dual meet against Incarnate Word, where she scored 299.33 in the 1-meter and 286.43 in the 3-meter. She blew past the NCAA zone qualifying score of 265 in the 1-meter and surpassed the qualifying score of 280 in the 3-meter springboard.
 
In the following four meets, Meulebeek would continue to shine on the 1-meter springboard winning gold at each meet and even set a new season-high score of 302.20 at the Trinity Invitational in November.
 
In January, adversity struck when she suffered a broken toe and sprained ankle after falling off the springboard.
 
"My left foot was really hurting and the MRI revealed that the bone was broken and then found out that my ankle was also sprained," Meulebeek said. "So, I was put in a cast for two weeks then a walking boot for two weeks."
 
Meulebeek missed out on nearly a month of practice and couldn't compete in UTRGV's dual meets against North Texas and Idaho.
 
"The hardest part was not being in the water," Meulebeek said. "The doctors kept telling me, 'You can't swim yet,' and that is so hard to accept. Luckily, I was able to recover quickly in time for the WAC Championships and now the Zone "D" Championships."
 
Meulebeek started diving about two weeks prior to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championships which took place from Feb. 26 to March 1 where she won the consolation finals with a score of 267.20, finishing nearly 40 points higher than the next diver.
 
Upon returning, Meulebeek and Mangum immediately returned to the pool to begin preparing for the NCAA Zone "D" Diving Championships. With every passing day, Meulebeek gets close to full strength and is excited to show what she can do at the championships on Monday and Tuesday.
 
Meulebeek will compete in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard. The top 11 finishers in the 1-meter and top nine finishers in the 3-meter will qualify for the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships. Meulebeek enters the competition as 20^th highest scoring individual in the 1-meter.
 
"I'm really excited for this opportunity," Meulebeek said. "I'm going to do everything I can to get one of those top 11 spots."
 
The first event for Meulebeek will be the 3-meter springboard preliminary round at 12 p.m. on Monday with the finals taking place at 3 p.m. On Tuesday, she will compete in the 1-meter springboard preliminary round at 12 p.m. and the finals begin at 3 p.m.
 
"Diving is unique in the way that anyone can win on any given day," Mangum said. "Depending on whether you're feeling good and accurate that day, anyone can win the event. I really feel that she has a great shot at the 1-meter, but like I said, anything can happen."
 
The meet is hosted by the University of Iowa and will take place at the Campus Wellness and Recreation Center in Iowa City, Iowa. The meet will be streamed on the Iowa Hawkeyes website, and the live results will be available on Dive Meets.