For junior diver Jocelyn Brooks, committing to dive at a Division One college has been a dream of hers since elementary school. After an impressive childhood and an even better high school career, Brooks has announced her verbal commitment to dive at the University of Pittsburgh.

“I have always been excited about college athletics, and when I started off my recruiting process last summer, I made a list of all the schools I was interested in or that I was familiar with,” Brooks said. “Pitt stood out to me because of their [dive] program and great location.”

The junior has had an evident passion for the sport since she was four years old, when she first joined the dive team for Kent Gardens Recreation Club.

“My older sister was on the team at the time, and I had seen her do flips off the boards and I thought it was really cool,” Brooks said. “I took a turn diving off the board, and I threw a flip right into one of the coaches, and soon after I joined the team.”

Brooks will enter UPitt in the fall of 2024 and compete on its swim and dive team.

“The main things about Pitt that made me choose it over other schools was that when I was on the campus, I felt so comfortable, like I was meant to be there,” Brooks said. “I went to a diving camp where I got to meet the coach and the team and I just fell in love with it.”

Her accomplishments have made her a coveted athlete, including being named an All American diver, qualifying for the Virginia State Championship and the USA National Championship.

“I wasn’t even considering Pitt at all in the beginning stages of my recruiting journey, and I took a few tours of close-by schools,” Brooks said. “It came down to a decision between Pitt and another school, but after talking it over with my family I decided Pitt was the place for me.”

Brooks remains competitive on the McLean Swim and Dive team, where she is hoping to once again qualify for the State Championships as well as be named an All-American diver for this season. She also competes for the Dominion Dive club.

“My [Dominion Dive] coach is amazing, and I am so grateful to her and the rest of my team for encouraging me and supporting me through every step of the way,” Brooks said. “My family has also made so many sacrifices for my diving career, and I could not have done it without them”

The junior looks forward to finishing out her McLean dive career, and then continuing to improve as a diver at Pitt.

“I am so excited to be able to grow as a family with my soon-to-be college team, and to progress as a student and a diver,” Brooks said.