'Hoping to bring my Canadian spirit': Regina divers sign Division I scholarships
Abby Ounsworth and Chelsey Dorosh of the Regina Diving Club have signed NCAA Division 1 Scholarships with Georgia Southern University and University of Nevada, Las Vegas for the 2023-24 collegiate year.
“I signed with Georgia Southern University mostly because of the coach. I was talking to him earlier in the recruiting process when he was at another school then he moved to Southern and I had a great relationship with him,” Ounsworth said.
“Then I met the team and they were all just so welcoming and excited for me to be there.”
“I signed with University of Las Vegas Nevada because I connected with the coach so well and when I went to visit in October, I connected with the team really well and I loved the atmosphere,” said Dorosh.
The two have been diving from a young age however both ended up in the sport on a different path.
“I started as a gymnast actually and I did that from ages 3-10. I was watching the Olympics one summer and I was like ‘Wouldn’t that be so cool to do?’ and then a few months later I switched over,” Ounsworth explained.
“I’ve been diving for 11 years. I started doing ‘learn to swim’ at the Lawson (pool) and I told my mom ‘diving looks so much cooler, I kind of want to try it’, so she put me in and that was kind of it for me,” Dorosh said.
The two high school seniors are in their final season before they will head off to begin their collegiate careers and are excited for the different diving world they are about to embark on.
“It’s funny because diving is an individual sport but at the university level you’re a part of a swimming and diving team so it brings together a bigger team aspect, which I’m excited for,” Ounsworth said.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts sent to your device
Their recent signings are no surprise to their coach, Laura Desautels, who has trained them since they began competing at the high school level.
“They’re both really hard workers. They come in, they get their work done, really good attitudes. They just always have a really positive outlook and I’m really looking forward to what is next.”
Both hope to bring their unique skill set to the NCAA level next year.
“I think I can bring my level of difficulty because I’ve been diving for so long. I have some hard dives so I’m excited to bring those there and get them even better than they are right now,” said Dorosh.
“I’m hoping to bring my Canadian spirit,” Ounsworth laughed.
“It’s kind of exciting because now the recruiting pressure isn’t there and I can go full force. I’m also a football player so across the board I feel like that gives me a different mentality to bring to the team.”
However before they move on to their new world of diving, the two have some time to soak it up as teammates for a little while longer.
“I’m definitely excited to graduate with her (Ounsworth) but it is sad seeing us like part ways and to not have a friend by my side like Abby,” said Dorosh.
“It’s kind of fun because we had each other to lean on through the experience but it’ll be crazy to kind of be across the world from each other,” Ounsworth said.
The high school senior’s train between 15-20 hours a week and their final diving season will get underway in February.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | PM Trudeau presents premiers $196B health-care funding deal, including $46B in new funding
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.

Inflation 'turning the corner' after multiple rate increases: BoC governor
After raising interest rates eight consecutive times, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem told an audience in Quebec City on Tuesday that inflation is showing signs of 'turning the corner' and that the coming year 'will be different.'
Newborn, toddler saved from rubble in quake-hit Syrian town
Residents digging through a collapsed building in a northwest Syrian town discovered a crying infant whose mother appears to have given birth to her while buried underneath the rubble from this week's devastating earthquake, relatives and a doctor said Tuesday.
How more than 100 women realized they may have dated, been deceived by the same man
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.
Canadians now expect to need $1.7M in order to retire: BMO survey
Canadians now believe they need $1.7 million in savings in order to retire, a 20 per cent increase from 2020, according to a new BMO survey. The eye-watering figure is the largest sum since BMO first started surveying Canadians about their retirement expectations 13 years ago.
3 men missing after canceled rap gig were fatally shot
Three men who disappeared after planning to rap at a Detroit party were killed by multiple gunshots, police said Tuesday, five days after their bodies were found in a vacant, rat-infested building.
B.C. COVID-denier had illness but died of drug overdose, coroner says
A report from British Columbia's coroner says a prominent anti-vaccine and COVID critic died in 2021 of a drug overdose, although he also tested positive for the illness post-mortem.
U.S. actor facing sex charges in Nevada also facing charge in B.C.
A former actor in the movie 'Dances With Wolves' who is facing eight sex-related charges in Nevada is also facing a charge in British Columbia.
Germany, Denmark, Netherlands pledge Ukraine Leopard 1 tanks
Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands announced Tuesday that they plan to provide Ukraine with at least 100 refurbished Leopard 1 battle tanks, a pledge that comes as Kyiv anticipates a new Russian offensive around the anniversary of its invasion.