Elissa Dawson

Photo by: Clyde Click

Position:
Diving
Height:
5-2
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Durham, N.C.
High School:
Reformation Academy Home School

ELISSA DAWSON BIO
Diving, 5-2, Durham, N.C.
Career Best Scores: 323.48 in one-meter diving; 384.08 in three-meter diving; 316.40 in 10-meter platform diving.
General: School record holder in both three-meter and platform diving...2016 Olympic Trials qualifier in both thee-meter and platform diving...Carolina Leadership Academy CREED mentor…in March 2017, she was named to U.S. Diving’s Tier 2 High Performance Squad.
2016-17: Placed third on both the 10-meter platform (272.25 points) and three-meter springboard (349.30) at the ACC Championships and was eighth in one-meter diving…earned All-ACC honors in both of those events…was an honorable mention All-America at the 2017 NCAA Championships…took 10^th place at NCAA meet in three-meter diving, totaling 348.75 points…placed 27^th in 10-meter platform diving at NCAAs with score of 229.25 points…was the ACC Diver of the Week after all but one dual meet during the season…won the award on January 31 after sweeping all four events in dual meets against NC State and Duke…won both diving events against Virginia and won diver of week honors on January 24…swept diving events in dual meet victory over Navy…earned ACC Diver of the Week award on November 22, 2016 as she won one-meter and platform diving and finished as runner-up in three-meter diving at 2016 GAC Invitational…won ACC diver of the week honors on November 8, 2016 after dual meet against Louisville, on October 27, 2016 after dual meet against Tennessee and on October 12, 2016 after sweeping both diving events against Georgia…at 2017 NCAA zone diving championships, she finished second in three-meter diving with 636.85 points, fourth in 10-meter platform diving with 523.45 points and fifth in one-meter diving with 563.50 points…named to ACC Academic Honor Roll…recipient of the David McInnis Award as squad’s outstanding diver…finished third in three-meter diving competition at Hawaii Diving Invitational…had two Top 10 finishes at the December 2016 U.S. Diving winter nationals, finishing fifth in 10-meter platform diving and eighth in three-meter springboard diving.
Summer 2016: At the 2016 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, she placed seventh in three-meter springboard diving…at the 2016 summer national championships she placed fifth in one-meter diving and fourth in three-meter diving.
2015-16: Honorable mention All-America in two events at NCAA Championships, taking ninth place in three-meter diving (378.40) and ninth place in platform diving (299.90)…named ACC Women’s Diver of the Year…winner of the McInnis Diving Award as the team’s Most Outstanding Diver…member of All-ACC Team…placed fourth in one-meter diving at ACC Championships with score of 304.65…was the ACC runner-up in three-meter diving (353.40)…was also fourth in platform diving (265.40)…at the NCAA zone diving championships she had a trio of top six finishes, taking fourth in platform (540.55), fifth in three-meter (633.65) and sixth in one-meter (576.45)…won the three-meter diving event against Georgia with 334.50 points…named ACC Women’s Diver of the Week on October 13, 2015…captured three-meter diving in four-way meet against Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky with a score of 300.95…swept one-meter (308.55) and three-meter (345.83) diving in dual meet against Louisville…named ACC Women’s Diver of the Week on November 10, 2015…captured both boards in dual meet against Texas, winning the one-meter (306.83) and three-meter (381.00) events and again won ACC Women’s Diver of the Week award on November 17, 2015…won three-meter diving at 2015 Nike Cup with score of 348.25 points and was second in one-meter diving with 314.05 points…was third in platform diving at Nike Cup (233.10)…swept one-meter (321.80) and three-meter (354.15) diving in dual meet against Navy and earned ACC Women’s Diver of Week Award on January 12, 2016…captured three-meter diving (353.75) in dual meet against NC State and Virginia…took 1st place in three-meter diving against Duke (360.75)…named ACC Women’s Diver of the Week on February 2, 2016.
2014-15: At the 2015 summer senior nationals, she placed 12th on three-meter board and 17th on one-meter...earned honorable mention All-America honors in 10-meter platform diving at 2015 NCAA Championships...established school records in three-meter diving with 384.08 points and in platform diving with 316.40 points in Louisville dual meet and at NCAA Zone meet, respectively...had top three-meter diving score in the ACC in 2014-15...NCAA qualifier...along with Michole Timm she became first-ever two-women contingent at NCAA Championships for Carolina...she joined Timm as first UNC women All-Americas in diving since 1992...named ACC Diver of the Week on November 11, 2014 after sweeping diving events in dual meet against Louisville...finalist for a 2015 UNC Rammy as outstanding female newcomer...recorded a pair of Top 10 finishes at the ACC meet...took ninth in three-meter diving (295.10) and 10th in platform diving (237.20)...at the 2014 NCAA Zone Diving meet, she placed second in platform diving, sixth in three-meter diving and 13th in one-meter diving ...had an excellent dual meet season, winning events against Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Navy and Duke…at the 2014 Nike Cup, she captured the championship in one-meter diving...had a pair of Top 15 finishes at the 2014 USA Diving Winter National Championships.
Prep: An outstanding recruit who is a native of the Triangle area…competed for Duke Diving, being coached there by Drew Johansen and Nunzio Esposto, and for North Carolina Diving, coached by Abel Sanchez…competed at the club level for nine years prior to coming to Carolina...at the 2014 Senior National Championships, she placed third in three-meter diving and sixth in one-meter diving…earned her way to nationals after a brilliant performance at USA Diving National Preliminaries in Bethesda, Md. …won the three-meter synchronized event and was second in one-meter, third in three-meter and eighth in platform diving…invited to Olympic Performance squad camp in Puerto Rico…2014 junior national champion in three-meter synchronized diving…she also placed sixth in three-meter and 10-meter platform diving and seventh in one-meter diving at junior nationals…2013 Winter Nationals qualifier on one-meter board with a score of 253.25…at the 2013 Senior National Championships, she placed ninth in one-meter diving…a 2013 Senior Zone A Finalist where she finished in fourth place in one-meter diving and 12th in three-meter diving…the 2012 AAU National Champion in the 16 girls’ age group in one and three-meter diving…2012 Senior Zone B finalist, placing sixth in one meter…was the 2011 Age Group Championships (14-15 girls’) national titlist in three-meter diving…at both the 2010 and 2011 Junior National Championships, she finished eighth in one-meter diving…named Tar Heel Diving “Diver of the Year” in 2009, 2010 and 2011…member of the National Homeschool Honor Society for three years…received the President’s Volunteer Service Award four times…coached for Duke Diving’s Junior Olympic, training and talent teams…a volunteer fitness trainer at the UNC Wellness Center at Meadowmont in its “Weigh2Wellness” program…volunteered at health fairs for three years…a kindergarten assistant at Trinity School…a tutor for Hispanic elementary students with Eagle’s Nest…member of All Saints Church in Durham, N.C.
Personal: Elisabeth Andrews Dawson is the daughter of Mark and Robin Dawson…was born on May 2, 1996 in Nashville, Tenn. …goes by Elissa…double major in sociology and American Studies…pursuing a minor in social & economic justice…stands 5-2 tall…her sister, Julia-Scott, is a 2015 alumna of UNC…her mother, Robin, is a 1985 graduate of UNC…hopes to become a Division I diving coach.