Allison Miller is a fourth-year diver from Des Moines. She majors in History with a concentration in American Studies. Miller won the one-meter diving competition at both meets the Pioneers have participated in this year. This weekend the Pioneer swimmers will compete at home in the Pioneer Classic at 5 p.m. today and 10 a.m. on Saturday.

What’s your favorite pump up song?
Either “Paper Planes” or “Thrift Shop.”

Why did you choose swimming over other sports?
Actually, I’m a diver. I started diving during my freshman year in high school when I was 14. I thought I was going to be really good because I could do a back flip, which is like the coolest thing ever. But then I learned very quickly that I had to do much harder dives to compete.

Did you do other sports before diving?
Growing up, I played rugby, soccer and baseball.

What’s your favorite class here?
I really enjoy South African history.

Besides swimming, what do you enjoy doing at Grinnell?
I enjoy intramurals. The swimming team forms a basketball team called “Fish out of water” in the spring and we play. I’ve got a pretty dirty three-point shot.

Do you have a plan after graduation?
I recently got accepted to Teach for America in New Orleans. I’m moving to New Orleans to do some training to get certified as a teacher and then I’ll fly home and drive to Louisiana. I’m teaching high school math for 2 years.

Is it hard for you to balance between studying and training with the team?
No. I’m most organized and most successful during season. You know that you have to block out four o’clock to eight o’clock for practicing, weight lifting and eating. It forces to me prioritize and be more organized.

As a senior, do you have any advice for the freshman class, especially the student-athletes?
Don’t take yourself too seriously, but what you put into it is what you’ll get out of it.

What’s your most memorable memory from while you’ve been at Grinnell?
I’m not sure what the consecutive streaks was for winning conference but the [women’s diving team has] been winning conference for the past 12 or 13 years. In my second year, we were expected to lose to Lake Forest. They had us beaten on paper. We ended up having the most amazing meet that I’ve ever been a part of. We won by 8 points and I remember that was the most excited I’ve ever been and I couldn’t really control my emotion. That was awesome.

-compiled by Khoa Nguyen