'SHE'S THE BEST DIVER
NEW ENGLAND HAS EVER HAD'

Author(s):    John Vellante, Globe Staff Date: January 27, 1991 Page: 14 Section: NORTHWEST WEEKLY

WESTFORD -- Dana Kozimor was an All-America diver her sophomore, junior and senior years at Westford Academy. Today, as a fifth-year senior at Northeastern University, she still dives and is still an All-America. Only, now, she's a Scholastic All-America.

Scholastics aside, "she's the best diver New England has ever had," says her long-time coach Joe Chirico. "She has set records at almost every pool she has ever been in." Setting records is nothing new for the 21-year-old Westford native. During her brilliant high school career she set every 1-meter and 3-meter record there was to be set, and all the records still stand. She went through high school undefeated in dual meets and only once -- in the states her freshman year -- did she not win.

She was sought by Stanford, Florida State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan -- all swimming powers. She chose, instead, to go to Northeastern because her mother, Joan, who has since died, was seriously ill at the time. That, plus the fact that Chirico, her private coach for many years, also coached there.

"He Chirico saw me when I was 13 and doing some recreational diving at the Westford Swim and Tennis Club," recalled Kozimor. "I was really into gymnastics at the time and he thought the twists and turns that I was doing as a gymnast could help me as a diver.

"It was really Joe who taught me how to dive. I had some basics, but he deserves most of the credit."

Her career at Northeastern has been nothing short of spectacular.

In her freshman year, she lost a dual meet to Michelle White, then a senior, but hasn't lost since. "I can't tell you how many in a row I've won," she said, "because I stopped counting. Actually, I never started counting." Chirico will tell you that the streak has reached 40 and likely will continue unabated.

"She's the best," he says without hesitation. "Man or woman, she has no equal in these parts. When she dives against men, she outscores them with ease."

At Northeastern, Kozimor has won New England, ECAC, and regional titles and has competed in two straight NCAA championships, finishing 17th both times. "My goal this year is to return to the NCAAs and finish in the top eight," she says.

A co-op student who works at the Exxon Co. in Everett when not in class, Kozimor is an industrial engineering major. She had a perfect 4.0 average last semester and her five-year grade point average at NU is 3.7.

These kinds of grades earned her Scholastic All-America honors the past two years and likely will be repeated this year. They also earned her a berth in the American Cup competition in Houston, which is open only to All-Americas.

"The competition there was the best," she said, "and it came from places like Florida, California and Texas, real swimming powers. For me, it was good training for the NCAAs."

Kozimor finished 11th in a field of 70 women.

Does she have Olympic aspirations or will she stop diving when she graduates this year?

"My plan right now is to dive this year and next (she has a year's eligibility remaining) and then go to Michigan to get my master's. Dick Kimball is the diving coach there and he's one of the best in the country. I'll have a greater chance at making the 1996 Olympic team than I would in 1992."

Chirico, a former Boston University diver (1976-1980), concurs with Kozimor's game plan.

"A lot of divers continue diving after college. Michigan is an outstanding school with an outstanding diving program and she would be training under a great coach. But you have to remember that Dana has a good education and has already received many lucrative job offers. That could have a say in her future.

"One thing she didn't do here at Northeastern was to trade off her education for diving. There's no doubt that she could have gotten into bigger and better programs, but she likely would not have received this type of education. She can write her own ticket anywhere."

Right now, that ticket appears to be nonstop.

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