Senior Salute: Bianca Alvarez – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swim & Dive
Jan. 20, 2012
Columbus, Ohio –
With Senior Day fast approaching, OhioStateBuckeyes.com will take time the next two weeks to feature each Buckeye graduating this season. The senior members of the women’s swimming and diving team will be recognized Saturday, January 21, at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in a dual meet vs. Michigan.
As one of the most accomplished divers in recent Ohio State history, Bianca Alvarez is known for her poise under pressure.
She exhibited this quality early in her Ohio State career at the 2008 NCAA championships. After watching teammate Chelsea Davis take home the title on the 3-meter springboard, Alvarez, just a freshman at the time, came back from a disappointing early dive to finish second in the competition – giving the Buckeyes the one-two finish in front of their home crowd.
“It was so awesome to go one-two in our home pool with tons of people – our entire crowd,” Alvarez, a Miami, Florida, native, said. “Plus, my family was at the meet; usually they don’t get to come because they live so far away. It was just the greatest day.”
Still developing as a diver at the time, Alvarez had come a long way from her life as a gymnast just four years prior to the championships, a start that is not uncommon among divers. Transitioning into the sport at the age of 13, she placed sixth at the Junior World Championships and tallied two Florida state titles before arriving in Columbus.
After a stellar rookie season, she went on to acquire two seconds and two thirds at Big Ten championship meets thus far in her career as well as become a six-time NCAA diving All-American.
Although she has had plenty of success on the athletic side, Alvarez believes her greatest achievement as a Buckeye has been her growth as an individual away from the sport.
“I’ve definitely grown a lot and changed into a completely new person. When I look back to high school, I can’t even believe that was me,” Alvarez said. “I’ve matured a lot and really learned what I want in my life through school, diving and relationships.”
Alvarez credits Ohio State head diving coach Vince Panzano as one of the main influences for her growth as both an athlete and person.
“I was always one to get frustrated when things weren’t going my way or my plan didn’t work exactly as I wanted it to,” Alvarez said. “I’ve learned a lot about flexibility since I’ve been at Ohio State. He [Panzano] taught me how to deal with adversity and work through tough times.”
Along with Panzano, Alvarez also turns to her teammates for support when things get tough.
“They [my teammates] have a lot of influence on how I compete. We see each other twice a day, plus I’ve lived with them all the years I’ve been at Ohio State,” Alvarez said. “They are the people who understand what I’m going through the most because not only are they athletes but they compete in the same sport.”
