It would be easy to say that Cassidy Krug was born to dive. As the daughter of two diving coaches, she grew up around the pool, attending her very first diving meet when she was just a week old. Her early start has certainly paid off in her diving career so far, both at Stanford and on the national and international scenes.

Krug, a senior from Coraopolis, Penn., is a five-time NCAA All-American and has placed as high as third in an international meet. Her most recent notable accomplishment is being one of 26 total male and female American divers invited to attend the second of two 2007 World Championship selection camps. The camp is being held January 21-25 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.

“There is a lot of competition in my events, so I’m going to have dive well to make the World Championships,” Krug said. “But I’ve worked really hard for this and would love to make the U.S. team.”

If selected, Krug would compete at the 2007 FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, from March 18 to April 1. Krug already has plenty of experience with international competition. In 2006, she placed seventh in the three-meter event at the FINA Diving World Cup and eighth in the same event at the 2006 China FINA Grand Prix. Krug’s ultimate goal, however, is that of any world-class athlete — to compete in the Olympic Games.

In 2004, as a freshman at Stanford, Krug placed eighth in the three-meter at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

“The 2004 trials felt like a Cinderella story,” Krug said. “I had no expectations and barely made it to the trials.”

Now, after her success throughout the past four years, Krug knows she belongs among the nation’s elite divers.

“In 2008, I would be going to the trials for a reason,” she said. “I’m a much better diver now than I was four years ago.”

In her four years at Stanford, Krug has been an invaluable asset to the Cardinal team. She was an All-American in her freshman, sophomore and junior years and in 2003-04 was the Pac-10 Diving Co-Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. In her sophomore year, she placed 13th in the three-meter and 14th in the one-meter at the NCAA championships, and continued to improve last season, placing seventh and ninth in the same two events.

So far this year, she was named the Pac-10 Diver of the Month for November and has recorded victories in each of the Cardinal’s dual meets. She also finished second in both the one and three-meter events at the Indiana Open Invitational in November.

“She’s definitely the premier diver in the Pac-10 right now, but our goals are far beyond that,” Stanford head diving coach Rick Schavone said. “Our goal is to make her the top diver in the country and winning now will help her confidence in the postseason.”

As an international athlete, a leader of a top-ranked Division I team and Stanford student, it seems as though Krug would suffer from intense pressure. Somehow, she manages to maintain a relaxed attitude and find balance.

“Growing up, my parents were very concerned about not putting too much pressure on me,” she said. “Here at Stanford, I’ve found that, with some extra work, it’s doable to balance school and diving.”

Even now, as she heads into the World Championship selection camps, Krug is a model of calm confidence.

“I feel like I’m diving better than I ever have right now,” she said after the Cardinal’s recent sweep of Arizona and Arizona State. “My good days are better than ever, and I just really need to work on being consistent and bringing up the bad days — that’s my focus.”

Krug’s mature perspective reflects her role as a senior leader of the Stanford team, a role that she is going to find difficult to give up at the end of the season.

“I can’t believe the end’s here already,” she said. “It all passes by so fast.”

As Krug’s collegiate career draws to a close, it is easy to believe that she will transfer her NCAA success onto the international scene. She is quick to point out that there is little difference between collegiate dual meets and high-stakes international competitions.

“I go into big meets with lots of extra time to prepare,” she said. “But, in the end, the dives are the same.”