It’s easy to be impressed by Missouri sophomore David Bonuchi’s rapsheet. He’s been a junior national champion — not once but five times.
He’s a six-time USA International Team member and 2010 Canada Cup Qualifier. Then, taking his success to the college level, Bonuchi went on to become a USA Diving champion, even after being sidelined by injury.
Now, Bonuchi has even found himself taking home the title of a Big 12 Conference champion — the first league diving title in program history.
Perhaps more eye-popping than Bonuchi’s successes is the fact that virtually nobody outside of the diving community has heard of him. Bonuchi is arguably MU’s best-kept secret.
The Hickman High School native first began diving at the age of 11, under the tutorage of now Missouri diving coach Jamie Sweeney. Sweeney said he spotted the potential in Bonuchi the moment he stepped on a diving board.
“I knew right away, the first day he ever showed up at the pool,” Sweeney said. “As a club coach, the first day a kid walks into the pool and does a front jump off the board you already know if they have the potential to be great or not.”
Sweeney saw what lied in Bonuchi that day, both physically and mentally, and took him under his wing. The relationship was mutually beneficial, yielding honors and trophies left and right as well as a special bond that has lasted to this very day.
“Me and him are like brothers,” Bonuchi said with a smile. “He’s able to get me up and get me going before a meet. He’s really there for me. I mean, he helps me through everything.”
Sweeney said the familiarity the two have developed over the years has been a major factor in the success that separates Bonuchi from the other divers around the nation.
“We spend so much time with each other,” Sweeney said. “I can see the look in his eyes from 100 yards away and I can tell what’s going through the kid’s mind. I know if it’s a good frame of mind to be in or if me and him need to do some work to get him back in the right frame of mind. We’ve got it taken care of.”
Bonuchi’s saga is not without its low points, however. In his first semester, Bonuchi sustained a broken hand twice, as well as a punctured eardrum. Forced to watch from the sidelines for 10 weeks, Bonuchi went without practice for much of the regular season.
Despite the injuries, Sweeney implemented a steady regimen of dry land and mental training to prepare Bonuchi for the upcoming Senior Nationals meet, the biggest diving event in the United States. The continued hard work paid off, and Bonuchi was cleared to dive headfirst the day before heading to Nationals.
“At Nationals, we trained really hard and got back into the groove of things as fast as we could,” Sweeney said. “He ended up winning nationals. He got first in the entire country without training for 10 weeks, against Olympians and NCAA champions. It was pretty unbelievable to see that.”
Bonuchi then focused on the Big 12 Championships, which took place at the Mizzou Aquatics Center this weekend. Bonuchi placed second in the 1m event early in the competition, losing to Texas diver Drew Livingston but exacting his revenge in the 3m competition. Bonuchi placed first in the event for the first time in school history.
Now, the pair of Sweeney and Bonuchi have their sights set on even greater accomplishments.
“Man, (we) would give anything to win an NCAA title,” Sweeney said. “Past that, I’m leaving it up to him. He’s accomplished every goal I’ve put in front of him. If he wants to make a go for the 2012 Olympics, I’ll be here for him. I’ll help him every step along the way.”
When describing how far the coach-player duo could take his success, Bonuchi was to the point.
“The sky’s the limit,” he said with a smile.
