By Kyle Arensdorf | @KyKernelSports

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Junior diver Greg Ferrucci entered the IU Natatorium on March 28, a place where seven years ago he experienced one of the most horrific accidents that could happen to a diver.

As a sophomore at Hopewell High School in Huntersville N.C., Ferrucci was encouraged by his coach, Ted Hautau, to enter a qualifying meet to participate in the 2006 U.S. Open in Indianapolis.

Ferrucci, 15, agreed, and as one of the youngest competitors in the competition, made the finals and took sixth-place in the 1-meter springboard.

After getting mixed reviews on his first two dives of the 3-meter final, Ferrucci attempted a reverse 2 1/2 tuck for his third and final dive.

“I really wanted to hit my third dive so I could get back on the board,” Ferrucci said. “I don’t know if it was nerves but I pretty much jumped straight up into the air and the back of my head hit the board hard.”

“I don’t think he knew he was going to hit, but I knew he was going to,” Hautau said. “As soon as he stepped off to do his hurdle, I started moving toward the pool.”

Ferrucci was immediately knocked unconscious and began convulsing as he sunk to the bottom of the pool.

Remaining fully clothed, Hautau dove into the water to rescue his sinking diver and “began to pray that he would be alright.”

Ferrucci was raced to a nearby hospital where the doctors concluded that he had a concussion, some hemorrhaging and a skull fracture.

After a three day hospital stay and a brief recovery period that included a spell of mononucleosis, Ferrucci was back to the pool in his home state of North Carolina.

However, his first post-injury practice did not go as planned, as he slipped off the board on his first dive, causing him to contemplate whether or not diving was really what he was supposed to be doing.

Ferrucci began living a normal high school life until he graduated and enrolled in a cosmetology school.

After working in a salon for six month and realizing he wasn’t yet ready to settle down, he decided to apply to be in a dive show on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

When he saw that he needed a recommendation, Ferrucci made the phone call to his old dive coach that would change his life.

“It was great to hear from him after so long,” Hautau said. “I was just trying to be funny and said, ‘Hey, why don’t you come dive for UK and get your school paid for and you won’t get sea sick?’”

The next day, Ferrucci called Hautau again, and after a very brief conversation was headed to Lexington on a scholarship.

Ferrucci has had an illustrious career as a Cat and a very successful 2013 season which landed him in the NCAA Championships for the third straight year.

This year’s NCAAs were different, however, as Ferrucci would be returning to the same pool where his injury had taken place seven years ago.

Although he felt a little nervous as the thought of his accident began to creep into his mind, he knew what to do to relieve the gravity of the situation.

On his first dive of the tournament, on the same 3-meter board, Ferrucci attempted a reverse 2 ½ tuck — the same dive that failed seven years ago — and nailed it, receiving high marks from the judges and a spot in the finals.

Ferrucci took fourth-place in the 3-meter final and added to that with two more fourth-place finishes in the tournament to cap off a season which saw him win nine individual event titles.

Ferrucci said the best part of this ordeal was that he got to experience all of this while representing UK and the coach that gave him a second chance.

“I’m actually really glad that I decided to take a detour with that plan. I have met some great people, traveled to some really cool places, and become a better person and diver than I ever thought possible.”