Q&A with Briggy Imbriglia

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Senior diver Briggy Imbriglia and the Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams host NC State Saturday in the final dual meet of the season. Diving events begin at 9:30 a.m. and Imbriglia and his six other classmates will be honored at approximately 10:45 a.m. prior to the meet to celebrate senior day. Imbriglia, a native of Springfield, Va., recently caught up with VirginiaSports.com to talk about the season, the diving program, his favorite event and his major.

Question: How would you describe the season thus far?
Imbriglia: The year started out great because I wasn’t injured like last year. It just helped everything go smoothly. But I think last year when I was hurt, it made me kind of take a step back and reevaluate my mentality, especially for meets. That more relaxed, confident feel carried over to this year. I know I can nail my dives. JB (Kolod) is great. He is such a little hairball. We train great together. We don’t do the same dives, which I think helps. We can evaluate each other. We really feed off each other, especially in meets.

Question: Do you embrace your role as a team leader?
Imbriglia: Absolutely. That is my favorite role as a member of this team, even with the girls, because they are really young. It helps me because I am able to step aside and be two different people. It helps me balance.

Question: You guys have had some early success this year, stepping up in some big meets.
Imbriglia: It’s been great. It’s been a long time coming, definitely. It’s great for Rich (MacDonald) and the program. We have been able to step up when we needed. It really stems from all of the training; I’ve never trained like this before. I know I can hit all my dives for eights. The ability to do every single dive for a very good score gives you a certain confidence. I can’t wait to dive in meets and I’ve never had that feeling before.

Question: What kinds of things does third-year coach Rich MacDonald bring to the program?
Imbriglia: First off, it’s relaxed. We are intense when we need to be, but it’s just really fun. It’s like having one of your best friends coaching you. I am so lucky that he has stepped in. It’s like all these great things mixed together; you get a nice blend of Rich as a coach, Rich as a friend, Rich as a mentor. I think everyone has really embraced all of Rich’s roles. He has made us more complete divers and more complete people.

Question: What is your favorite event?
Imbriglia: My favorite to compete in is probably the 1-meter. You can kind of only mess up so much. So that is my favorite from a dual meet standpoint. But at ACCs, I definitely love the platform. The dives that I do aren’t very hard but they are high up. The feeling of flipping so many times – it’s pure power up there. You hit the water so hard and it’s such a good feeling. So many people are either springboard divers or tower divers and I’m lucky enough to have a good mix of both.

Question: How did you end up at UVa?
Imbriglia: First off, it’s in-state, so it’s close to home. But it really had the complete package. UVa is the best mix of everything. I was also good friends with (former UVa diver) Nathan Parker, who was an influence on my decision.

Question: What is your major?
Imbriglia: I am an economics major. I don’t have a concentration and I like that because it’s so broad that it allows me to take finance and experimental economics classes. There is going to be plenty of time for accounting. I really wanted to embrace the interesting and broad classes while I could. I would like to get started in consulting or analysis in the business world, mainly, because I have no idea what I want to do long-term. If I like it, I will go back to grad school. If I don’t, I will figure out something else!

Question: What has been your favorite class at UVa?
Imbriglia: I would say social psychology in terms of material because it made you think like you never had before. I also really liked my international trade and theory class. It was so demanding and so hard and I understood most things three weeks after they were taught. But it was the most rewarding.

Question: What do you like to do for fun?
Imbriglia: I love to play raquetball. Every time Nathan comes to UVa, we play. It’s a good outlet. When it’s nice outside we play Frisbee golf. I have a dog that was here over winter break and every morning we went to the Lawn. I like watching movies and just enjoy relaxing.

Question: What is your favorite spot on Grounds?
Imbriglia: I actually really like the area between the Lawn and the Corner; the grassy area by Brooks Hall. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Lawn. But there you can see the Rotunda and all the people on the Corner, even some of the med school. It’s such a diverse crowd.