KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — ElliReese Niday is making a splash in diving competitions across the world. The 11-year-old said she's been doing diving since she was 7—after first doing gymnastics.
"I love to travel and meet new people," ElliReese said.
At 11 years old, she's the youngest person competing in this year's USA Diving Winter National Championships.
"It's pretty cool. The Lord has given me a great gift," ElliReese said.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Her mother, Lauryn Niday, was also a gymnast-turned-diver and dived at the University of Tennessee.
Lauryn was a 12-time Junior National Champion, five-time Senior National Champion, 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year, 2004 Olympic Trials Qualifier and the 2004 Glamour's Top 10 Women of the Year.
You can watch a video below of ElliReese diving and Lauryn diving in 2002.
Lauryn said the Allan Jones Aquatic Center wasn't built when she was a UT student, but being in the center and seeing her daughter compete in it, makes it full-circle.
"It is so amazing that I was here 20 years ago and had no clue that I would have a daughter, you know, one day at 11, would be diving in a facility that I was waiting on when I was a diver here," Lauryn said. "And so to be back here for the first time and watch her dive in it was like—unimaginable. It was incredible."
Lauryn said when she dived, she didn't feel any nerves. But, seeing her daughter dive makes her nervous.
"It's emotions that I have never felt as a diver. But, it is so awesome watching her do things that she absolutely loves," Lauryn said.
After watching her daughter dive, Lauryn goes to a different part of the stands for one-on-one time with her daughter on the phone.
"I just pray for her and for her upcoming dive. But, we do sometimes talk between to keep her mind off things. You know, it's not necessarily all about diving. It's about, you know, just anything that calms her down," Lauryn said.
And ElliReese says she's thankful her mom does that.
"It's really cool because she knows like if I'm going through like a hard dive or I can't hit them. It's really cool. Like she'll give me advice," ElliReese said.
Lauryn says it's an honor to be back at UT cheering on her daughter and seeing the other divers competing.
"They all individually are just incredible humans outside of the pool, but then when you put them together and get to watch this kind of contest, such an honor for ElliReese to be able to just see them and be in this and it's amazing for me to sit in the stands," Lauryn said.
While the winter nationals are an opportunity for divers to qualify for the Olympic trials, ElliReese would not be able to qualify for the Olympics because she is too young. To compete in Olympic Diving, divers have to be at least 14 years old.
ElliReese says her favorite dive to do is the 2 1/2 tuck on 3m.