It all started with a package in the mail. After that, phone calls. The next thing high school All-American diver Linda Wagner knew she was jumping off the board as a Cyclone.

Wagner hasn’t stopped there.

The sophomore has helped the women’s diving team get off to a solid start this season and has also qualified for the NCAA Zone meet, the first step in the process of becoming a national champion.

Wagner said it wasn’t hard to decide where to head when it came time pick a college.

“The summer before my senior year, [Iowa State] sent me the first piece of mail I had gotten from a school,” she said. “I followed up through the phone, and then I visited. Afterwards, I pretty much told the girls I would see them in the fall. I went on a few more visits but ISU was the place.”

Diving coach Jeff Warrick agreed.

“We sent her some mail and she showed interest,” Warrick said. “We talked on the phone and she visited. We are fortunate that she did.”

Wagner established a solid base in the sport she now competes in at an early age. Spending summer time in the pool became a habit for Wagner as she grew up. She swam for a team until her mother asked her if she wanted to try diving.

“My mom suggested diving lessons, so I gave it a try,” Wagner said. “I stuck with it and did well in one meet. After the meet, a guy came and asked me to join his diving club.”

Wagner ran track, played tennis and swam in high school but chose to stick with her true love in college – diving. While competing at Northglenn High School in Westminster, Colo. she won a pair of state diving titles as a sophomore and junior while finishing second as a senior.

Wagner believes this year’s team is as good and maybe even better than last years.

“Although we are young, I think we are just as good as we were last year, maybe better with younger divers contributing,” Wagner said.

Wagner will be diving in the NCAA Zone meet in Fayetteville, Ark., March 15-16. The top three qualifiers from the Zone move on to Nationals.

She qualified for the Zone meet Nov. 30 against Northern Iowa, winning the 1-meter springboard with a score of 267.98. She also won the 3-meter diving event.

A day later at St. Olaf, Wagner again swept the two-diving events and helped Iowa State pick up its first two dual wins of the season. The Cyclones are 3-1 currently with a win over intrastate rival Iowa.

“This season has gone pretty well,” Wagner said. “I started out a little shaky but have been gradually improving. Qualifying for the Zone was a big thing. Last year I was close but I never made it.”

Warrick said there are a few reasons why Wagner succeeds.

“Linda brings a lot of experience. She has been diving since she was young,” he said. “She has fantastic basic skills. She has determination not to give up when she is struggling. She is a hard worker. Her desire and goals that she has set for herself are high. She has been coming along lately and has added some new dives with more difficulty.”

Wagner’s teammates have also noticed her value, in competition and at practice.

“Linda does very well under pressure. She is really fun to have around at practice and always has a good attitude. She is our entertainment,” freshman diver Alicia Adsit said.

The diving team recently returned from the University of Indiana after finishing its winter training trip.

“The trip was excellent. We had a three-day invite to start out. All the divers did well,” Warrick said. “It was a great experience to get us ready for bigger meets coming up.”

Wagner and the rest of the swimming and diving team will resume action against Missouri on Jan. 26 at home.