Colten Cryer, a sophomore from Keller, Texas, has had an unexpected journey throughout his athletic career. He started his journey with swimming, but later on decided that it wasn’t for him and made the switch to diving.
“It got to a point where I was getting kind of bored, and I saw people diving off the diving boards,” Cryer said. “I was like, ‘I want to try that,’ and then I got some lessons and I’ve been there ever since.”
He said that the transition was very difficult, noting the skill differences required “to go from a very aerobic sport to a very dynamic sport.”
Once Cryer began diving, he excelled, and he has competed in over 53 competitions throughout his career.
Since arriving at Alabama, Cryer has finished in the top 25 in all three diving competitions at the SEC championships. On the 3-meter board, he set a personal best against Auburn with a score of 339.23.
With these performances, he was invited to the Scottish championship.
Before he could leave the States, he had to compete in the Georgia Invitational in Athens. The event was the last meet of the regular season for many athletes, and Cryer finished in the top 10, punching his ticket to the 2025 Zones competition in March for all three events.
The Scottish Championships were Cryer’s first international meet.
“They do things a bit differently over there, and I had to learn how to adapt to the different environment,” Cryer said. “All in all, it was a great learning experience, and I would do it again. I’ve definitely taken what I’ve learned from that, applying it to everything else in the future.”
Cryer said he had never been out of the country and that this was his first experience in Europe. He enjoyed that attractions and places to eat were within walking distance of the aquatic complex.
“Edinburgh castle was, like, a 20-minute walk,” he said. “All of the shops, vendors and restaurants were all down there. Pretty much after every practice we’d walk around and just sightsee, learn the history, and of course we tried some Scottish food.”
Though Cryer enjoyed the scenery of a country he had never been to, he was still there to compete. In the 3-meter dive, he brought home a bronze medal.
He competed against athletes from all over the United Kingdom, including people from Scotland all the way down to Southern England. Some of the athletes he competed against competed in the Commonwealth Games, which are held every four years and feature athletes from all over the Commonwealth of Nations.
Since returning to the United States, he has competed in the senior day meet against Tennessee. He placed fourth in the 1-meter diving competition, scoring 298.43, and also placed sixth in the 3-meter dive, scoring 300.23.
He finished out the regular season against Auburn, where he placed sixth in the 1-meter dive and fourth in the 3-meter dive.
He is set to compete during the SEC championships from Feb. 18 to 22. He will also compete at the NCAA Zone Championships on March 7-12 in Auburn, Alabama.