Wawasee senior Brady Claassen has chosen Delta State University to continue his diving career. Seated with Brady are Brian Glandon, Misty Glandon and Jacob Claassen. In the back row are Wawasee principal Kim Nguyen, Wawasee assistant principal Steve Perek, Wawasee swim assistant coach Kassidy Sizemore, Wawasee diving coach Dawn Yoder, Wawasee assistant principal Vince Beasley and Wawasee athletic director Cory Schutz. (Photo by Mike Deak)

SYRACUSE – Diving is generally an all-in proposition. You either go after it full bore or not.

Brady Claassen is taking that challenge head on.

Claassen signed his National Letter of Intent Wednesday in a ceremony at Wawasee High School to continue his diving career with Delta State University in Mississippi. Taking a chance on somewhat of a whim was how Claassen approached the decision, but isn’t finding any fault with his decision.

“Their coach messaged me and said they were really interested in me, but I was looking at other schools at the time,” Claassen said Wednesday after his ceremony. “This was the only D-II school that offered to me, I was looking at D-III schools.

Delta State, a NCAA Division II school located in Cleveland, Mississippi, wasn’t a place Claassen had heard of prior to engaging with them. But through a series of internet searches, some video swaps and a visit to campus, Claassen became aware of the Statesmen very quickly. Diving into their pool was what sealed the deal.

“I went down there April 12, that whole weekend and just fell in love with the campus there,” Claassen said. “Their pool is amazing. It’s the only diving school in Mississippi, and stayed with some people on campus and took a tour of campus, just fell in love with it when I went down there.”

Claassen had a solid senior season for Wawasee, finishing as an Honorable Mention All-Northern Lakes Conference performer. Claassen’s season ended abruptly at the sectional, finishing nine points out of a regional qualification spot, but Wawasee diving coach Dawn Yoder didn’t see his season as a disappointment.

“He has always had a desire to perform in college, and that determination and that extra push it takes to get to the next level, he showed that,” Yoder said. “Things don’t always go your way, but he didn’t let that stop him.

“Brady saw he had the potential and the ability that if he put his mind to it, he could reach new heights,” continued Yoder. “I think he has a lot of potential, but he has a lot of growing to do diving-wise. That’s great for someone entering college because you always see people grow once they go to college. He’s not going to go backwards, he is going to move forwards.”

Claassen fields a 6.38 GPA (12-scale) and looks to study criminology at Delta State. The Statesmen are coached by Kyle Friesenhahn.