Just meters above the surface. Feet on the edge of the platform. Eyes peer down into water over 15 feet deep. A breath, a sprint and a jump into two forward tucks. The makings of a perfect dive.
Next to the roaring sounds of swimmers racing in the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center is the much quieter, meditative diving well. However, the lack of noise does not denote a lack of talent.
Kayden Hayes, a junior on the ASU women's swim and dive team, made her first appearance in 2023 when she placed third against Georgia in the 3-meter dive. Later that season, she had an NCAA zone-qualifying score in platform diving with 260.80 points, helping her emerge as one of ASU's top athletes in the pool.
In just her second season with ASU, Hayes won the Big 12 Championship in platform diving, securing the first Sun Devil platform diving title since 2018.
That early success is what set the tone for the 2025-26 season.
"It would be nice to get a title again," Hayes said. "I feel like this year, I have to work a lot harder because I set that (standard) last year."
Hayes' dominance in platform diving hasn't necessarily been the hallmark of her journey as a Sun Devil. Head diving coach Marc Briggs said that Hayes has "made the most improvement" in springboard events.
"I came in with literally nothing on the springboard, and now that I have a competitive list, I think that's definitely (an) improvement," Hayes said.
Hayes' decision to come to ASU from her hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, proved to be an amazing choice for her, both in the pool and in her personal experience with the state of Arizona.
"The environment's really fun," Hayes said. "Everyone's super nice. I love it here."
Besides bringing success and recognition to ASU diving, Hayes has also helped pave the way for recruits and future Sun Devils to dive for the university.
When Briggs was promoted to head diving coach in 2021, he had no divers on his team and recruited heavily to build his roster. Hayes is helping to continue that legacy and build up the program alongside her coach.
"We just had a girl that committed for 2027 who Kayden did host," Briggs said. "She's another girl from Canada … (she) said she had a good time with Kayden."
This friendly and welcoming aspect of Hayes' personality has perhaps played the largest role in her experience with the diving team and her enjoyment of the university.
"We go through a lot of the same things, and it's nice to have someone to relate to and someone I can talk to outside of practice," senior diver Amayah Wiley said.
Hayes and Wiley have been teammates for multiple years — and moved in together last year — both pushing each other to learn new dives and perform at their highest level.
Hayes has certainly made a splash in ASU's diving world, cementing her spot in the history and future of the program as well as in the memories of her teammates. For her, the sport is as tranquil and grounding as the surface of the water before she leaps from the platform.
"(Before a dive), I don't think of anything specifically, kind of just how to do the dive," Hayes said. "I know how to do it. I do it all the time."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Henry Smardo and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at bcsmit41@asu.edu.
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Brooklyn Smith is a sports reporter for The State Press and an English student at ASU. She is in her 1st semester with The State Press.
