Following her coach -- as well as her dreams

Kelci Bryant knows it might sound strange to some people. Why would an Olympic diver, competing at the University of Miami (Fla.), transfer to a cold-weather school that had never produced an NCAA champion in her sport?

She did so without hesitation, for one reason: Bryant knew she would never find a better coach than Wenbo Chen. When he was hired by the Gophers in 2009, his longtime pupil followed him to a completely unfamiliar place. She finished the 2010 season with an NCAA title in 3-meter springboard and was runner-up in 1-meter. Last week, Bryant won the 1-meter event and finished second on the 3-meter board at the NCAA championships, becoming the first woman in Gophers swimming and diving history to win two NCAA titles.

Chen was named diving coach of the championships for his work with Bryant, who was honored as diver of the meet, and freshman All-America Maggie Keefer. Thursday, another of his athletes -- senior Drew Brown -- will begin competition at the men's NCAA championships at the University Aquatic Center. Nearly 20 years after Chen left China in search of greater opportunities, Bryant said he is giving the same to the Gophers, which is why she happily swapped sand for snow.

"Wherever he is, that's where I need to be for my diving," said Bryant, who has trained with Chen since she was 14. "I didn't know anything about Minnesota except it was going to be cold, but I went with it.

"He's done so much here already, and there is so much more he can do. The success he's going to have here in Minnesota, it's only just started."

Bryant's decision to come north, Chen said, has had much to do with it. A 2008 Olympian who finished fourth in 3-meter synchronized diving at the Beijing Games, she began her Gophers career with the 2009-10 season and set a school record in her first meet. Bryant won both the 1-meter and 3-meter titles at the Big Ten championships, then ended her sophomore year by topping her own school marks with her performance at the NCAA meet.

This season, Bryant defended both Big Ten titles. At the NCAA meet, she helped the Gophers to a ninth-place finish, the best showing in school history. In addition to immediately raising the profile of the diving program, Chen said, she has been invaluable in demonstrating the kind of commitment and attitude he wants to instill in all his athletes.

"I know it was a big change for her to come here," he said. "When you have a diver of her caliber, it helps a lot. She can show other people what hard work should be and the mental training it takes to prepare for a high-level meet, and she can help the team to build that up."

Chen was coaching at USA Diving's national training center in Indianapolis when the Gophers called him. A former coach at Purdue, he missed the college-sports environment and wanted to return.

Bryant was 8 when she met Chen, who was then coaching her sister Katie at a club in Georgia. Even at that age, he thought Kelci had the talent to become an Olympian with proper training, and he began working with her during his tenure at Purdue.

At first, Bryant and her mother, Kathie, commuted 3 1/2 hours each way from their home in Illinois for three training sessions per week. They later moved near the Purdue campus in West Lafayette, Ind., and Chen continued to coach Bryant when he moved to the national training center.

Brown, a Gophers senior, has worked with Chen for only two seasons. He said the coach's training methods have kept him injury-free, and his scores have improved because of Chen's emphasis on sound technique and careful preparation.

"If you've got all the skills in place, it's easier to progress to harder dives," said Brown, who will compete in all three diving events this weekend. "We've never had quite this caliber of coach here, and I think there's no limit to what he can do with the program."

Though Bryant will take next year off from school to concentrate on preparing for the Olympics, she will continue to train on campus. Chen is also coaching youngsters in his Minnesota Diving Academy, hoping to develop talent for the Gophers.

He's casting his recruiting net across the country, believing Minnesota's climate will not be a drawback for athletes who are serious about their training.

"It is hard," he admitted. "But I think we can get the divers to come here to become a top program in the Big Ten. If Kelci can do it, they can do it."

rachel blount • rblount@startribune.com

ing the kind of commitment and attitude he wants to instill in all his athletes. "I know it was a big change for her to come here," he said. "When you have a diver of her caliber, it helps a lot. She can show other people what hard work should be and the mental training it takes to prepare for a high-level meet, and she can help the team to build that up." Chen was coaching at USA Diving's national training center in Indianapolis when the Gophers called him. A former coach at Purdue, he missed the college-sports environment and wanted to return. Bryant was 8 when she met Chen, who was then coaching her sister Katie at a club in Georgia. Even at that age, he thought Kelci had the talent to become an Olympian with proper training, and he began working with her during his tenure at Purdue. At first, Bryant and her mother, Kathie, commuted 3 1/2 hours each way from their home in Illinois for three training sessions per week. They later moved near the Purdue campus in West Lafayette, Ind., and Chen continued to coach Bryant when he moved to the national training center. Brown, a Gophers senior, has worked with Chen for only two seasons. He said the coach's training methods have kept him injury-free, and his scores