She most recently became the Dragons’ all-time digs leader as a 3-year starter in volleyball. She’s played outfield and shortstop as a 4-year starter in softball.

It’s the sport she’s competed in the least she will continue this fall in college — choosing Clarion University’s Division II diving program.

“If you would have asked me three years ago if I was diving in college, I would have said you were crazy,” said Madigan. “Diving wasn’t even on my radar three years ago. I fell in love with diving because I love challenging my body and pushing myself to learn new and harder skills.”

The former gymnast dove right in, winning a District 10 2A diving championship as a high school junior in her second season.

Submitted Photo Katie Madigan signed her national letter of intent this week to dive for D2 Clarion University beginning this fall. From left are Erica Madigan, Katie, and Matt Madigan.

“I have definitely considered playing other sports in college,” said Madigan. “When I was younger, I thought for sure I was going to be doing gymnastics in college. I couldn’t imagine my life without it. As I got older, and even into my junior year, I thought I wanted to play volleyball. It wasn’t until my junior diving season that I decided the sport that I truly wanted to pursue in college was diving.”

Gymnastics helped the transition.

“Diving, for me, is like doing gymnastics off a diving board,” she said. “It seemed to be an easy and natural transition for me. I’m working hard and learning more and more every day. I believe that when my other sports are done and I can focus solely on my diving, the sky is the limit for me. This year, I hope to perfect my board work and my technique, which will improve my current dive list and allow me to acquire new and harder dives. Next year at Clarion, I am really looking forward to further improving all my diving skills and achieving a highly-competitive 3-meter dive list.”

If you were surprised to hear she had taken up diving in high school, you might have been even more surprised to learn her coach was … her dad.

“Katie’s decision to dive came as a bit of a surprise to us,” said Katie’s father, Matt. “However, after seeing what she has accomplished in her first two seasons of diving, it’s clear that she has made the right decision. We are so exited and proud of her choice to continue her diving career at Clarion University. Clarion’s diving program is so competitive and has such a rich history of producing national champions year after year. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Katie.”

Times Observer File Photo by Matt Spielman Warren senior Katie Madigan will be bringing her athletic talents to Clarion University to compete on the Division II Diving team.

Katie’s father and mother, Erica, both attended Clarion University. Matt is a teacher and Erica a speech pathologist.

“I chose Clarion for two reasons,” said Madigan. “They have the best diving program around and the best speech pathology program in our area.”

The Madigans are a close family with sports often at the forefront.

“I have been a coach of various sports for over 20 years, and I have seen very few athletes who possess the drive and determination that Katie has,” said Matt. “She shows up and works hard every day and truly wants to get better. She is a fierce competitor. I believe every coach she has ever had has commented on her strong work ethic and competitive drive. She also builds strong relationships with her teammates. She leads by example and lifts them up when they’re down. These are the qualities that make Katie an excellent diver, athlete and teammate.”

She’s had plenty of practice being an excellent teammate.

“I have always loved sports from a very young age,” said Katie. “I think playing sports my entire life has definitely shaped me into the person I am today. Sports teach you how to be disciplined, responsible, and respectful toward others. They teach you how to set goals and work hard to achieve them. Playing sports also teaches you how to communicate and build strong relationships with friends and teammates.”

She has set records in her short time diving at Warren, and her college choice won’t stop her from making even more goals for her final high school season.

“I definitely want to keep working to upgrade my dive list, improve the dives that I have, break my own school records, win another District 10 title and place as high as I can at states,” said Katie.

She was fourth at states as a junior during a strange COVID year.

“She is never afraid to try new dives and, more importantly, she is not afraid to try and fail,” said Matt. “These setbacks just become new challenges for her to conquer.”