Sophomore Auburn diver John Santeiu IV placed first in the Georgia Diving invitational Jan. 5.
He scored a 397.45 on his sixth attempt in the platform event to clinch the victory and earned a total score of 653.35 in the one-meter board competition.
After his winning performance and seventh victory on the season, Santeiu was named SEC Diver of the Week.
Despite Santeiu's youth, his positive outlook and work ethic have made him a team favorite.
"John has been such a positive person to be around every single day," said senior diver Vennie Dantin. "If anyone is in a bad mood they can always look to John and he is always smiling and encouraging. If one thing is to be said about John it's that he radiates positivity."
After waking before dawn for weight training and morning practice, Santeiu attends class, night practice, finds time to study and tries to get a good night's sleep before the cycle restarts early the next morning.
Santeiu said maintaining a positive attitude and enjoying free time keeps him from going crazy.
"I try to keep up with other sports as much as possible," Santeiu said. "I picked up my positive attitude from my parents. I'd rather be positive if things aren't going well than negative. Diving is such skill work that when other things cross your mind, it doesn't really work out that well."
Last year's SEC Swimming and Diving Championship remains a fond memory for Santeiu, as he achieved some of his best scores and gained confidence for his sophomore season.
"I medaled in three-meter and platform and hit some of my personal bests," Santeiu said. "It really allowed me to become more confident. As a freshman, being able to do that was a really good expeirience."
Santeiu and his coaches felt that performance bolstered his confidence as a diver.
"He came in and did a great job as a freshman," said coach Jeff Shaffer. "In my mind he should have been SEC Freshman of the Year when you look at points scored in all three categories. We are looking forward to continued good things from him and helping lead the men's divers to the SEC Championships."
For all Santeiu's success, Shaffer still strives for consistency and correct form from all his divers.
"I think right now we are doing the dives that we need to do to be competitive," Shaffer said. "He is tall for a diver, so it's a little bit harder when you're over the 6-foot 3-inch range for our sport.
"The two things for our sport is the form in the air when performing the dive and the entry into the water. The one thing we need to continue to work on is the form."
Dantin said she thinks Santeiu has progressed as both a diver and a member of the team.
"The first couple of meets is a learning curve," Dantin said. "The first couple of meets the freshman didn't do as well as they wanted to. (John) never let that once get to any of them and this was huge. It helped them take the next step to the next meet with a great mind frame."
Santeiu may consider diving after Auburn, but insists he is focused on the task at hand before looking to his post-collegiate career.
"After Auburn, if I can get to the level that I need to beat within my four years then I might continue after," he said. "Right now everything is still up in the air."
The Auburn men's swimming and diving program will look to clinch its 16th consecutive conference title and 18th overall Feb. 15-18 in Knoxville, Tenn., at the Alan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.
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