Getting to Know . . . Chiara Pellacani
This story originally appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of Hurricanes Magazine.
It has been nothing short of a “roller coaster” of a year for Chiara Pellacani.
The Hurricanes diver, a redshirt junior, stepped away from collegiate diving and took a redshirt year – with Miami’s encouragement and approval – to focus on training for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. She competed in the Olympics and just narrowly missed winning a medal for her native Italy. She took a breather after Paris, to reset and process the experience.
Then she returned to Miami and became a champion.
First, in February, she won the ACC championship on the 3-meter springboard and took home the bronze in the 1-meter.
In March, a national title followed.
In her first NCAA Championships as a Hurricane, Pellacani scored a 354.65 on the 1-meter to become the 17th diver in program history to win a national championship.
And she shared the podium with Miami teammate – Mia Vallée, who scored a 333.85 to place second. Vallée, a former national champion herself, won the 1-meter title in 2022.
It was a moment Pellacani said she’d never forget.
“It was kind of just a feeling of reward for all the work that we did during the year,” Pellacani said. “Not just me, but also my coach, and the school. It just felt very rewarding.”
Hurricanes Magazine asked Pellacani to take us through her emotional year, her time in Paris and her experience as a Hurricane.
Here’s what she had to say, in her own words…
Hurricanes Magazine: Winning a national championship is huge. Winning a national championship with one of your teammates on the podium with you must have been even more meaningful. What was that moment like for you?
CP: “It was amazing. It was very fun, because I know it was always me and Mia, first and second during the competition. It was really fun to pretty much do what we usually do in practice, and then do it at the NCAA [meet]. I think we’re just very supportive of each other and it’s a healthy competition. It was very nice.”
HM: How do you think the two of you bring out the best in each other?
CP: “It’s just every day in practice. We bring competition there, but in a good way. We’re very supportive of each other and we try to do our best, but we also help each other to bring out our best.”
HM: There have been 16 national champions before you at Miami. What did it mean to add to the program’s tradition?
CP: “I think it was good for me to keep up with that tradition, and I think it was really good for Dario [di Fazio] in his first year as head coach. He’s been doing an amazing job, so it was just kind of a reflection of the work we did. I was kind of nervous because it was my first year competing for the University and I know it’s an amazing program. So, I just wanted to give the program what the program has given to me. I was nervous, but I really wanted to do well and I’m so happy that at the end, it worked out and the work we did came out. I’m just happy we kept the legacy going.”
HM: You mentioned wanting to give back to the program after what the program has given you. What would you say Miami has given you?
CP: “For me, [letting me] take a redshirt year in an Olympic year the first year that I came to the school, that’s not something that every school would do. … I don’t think many schools would do it, really, because they’re just thinking about the college season and not really anything else. I’m really appreciative that Miami gave me time to focus on the Olympics and myself and understood where I was at the time. Also, especially after the Olympics, Dario and the school were really understanding. I had a hard time because it was a very busy year, and I kind of needed a break. They supported me in every decision that I made, and they trusted what I was doing. I’m just really glad that I could give them something back, and something big.”
HM: It has been a lot over the course of the last year. How would you describe the last 12 months?
CP: “I think it was kind of like a roller coaster because it was a lot of good things, but it was also really hard for me to keep up with everything. I was really focusing on the Olympics and then after the Olympics, everything kind of hit me – all the hard work, and the pressure. I needed a little break, so I spent some time at home with my family and Dario understood that. … I took some time off and then I came back, and I started diving again and I was just really excited to be back at the pool and practice with the team again. And I was very excited to start competing for the school. At that point, I was just hoping and thinking it was going to be a fun season, and it worked out.”
HM: What was it like to compete at the Olympics?
CP: “My time in Paris was really fun, but at the same time, it was very stressful because I know all the expectations that people had on me. So, it was stressful and there’s a long period of time to accumulate all the stress. When I was there, it was fine and I was really focused on my goal. Then of course, when I was done, it kind of all hit me at once. Fourth place. I was really happy with all the work I did to get there and how prepared I was for the Olympics, but once you’re there and you kind of see your dream pass in front of you, it hurts and can be hard. That’s why I had a little bit of a hard time after the Olympics. … I just got so close and the next one isn’t going to be for another four years. It’s not something you can just try again next year.
“But I had a lot of people helping me, the school, Dario and at some point, you have to realize that was just part of the whole process, and I have to enjoy it. It’s not just the goal, but it’s the whole process and the people. Now, I’m trying to enjoy everything and diving in every aspect. I’m just focusing, really, on the process. And of course, I’m still working to get that medal.”
HM: How much did it mean to you, to have all that support around you after the Games?
CP: “It was actually very special for me. That kind of support isn’t something you find easily, so I am just grateful that I had all these people around me that could understand and actually help me, and believed in me. If I didn’t have it, maybe I wouldn’t be diving right now. It was very, very important for me.”
HM: What was it like coming back to campus and getting settled back into the routine of being a collegiate diver and the collegiate season?
CP: “At the beginning, I was a little worried because I felt a little behind, because I took a break and started diving later. But the team and Dario helped me to just get back into it, very slowly and without any pressure. They reminded me to just enjoy it and when I got back, yes, I was a little worried, but then I just got really excited to start competing for the school and getting back to practicing with my team. I got really excited for the season.”
HM: What was your favorite part of the season?
CP: “Well, of course when I won the NCAA title because Dario and I had been talking about it for so long and when it actually happened, it was amazing. I just loved seeing Dario smiling after my first dive. I was so happy because I think we all deserved that. We all worked hard.”
HM: You started your college career at LSU. How would you describe the journey that ultimately brought you to Miami?
CP: “So, not a lot of people know this, but [Miami] was my first choice. I really wanted to come here to Miami, but it didn’t work out at first. There was no scholarship for me that year, so I was like, ‘I’ll just start somewhere else’ and I had a lot of friends from all over the world at LSU. I was just like, ‘I’ll go there and see how it is,’ and at the same time, it was actually a really good program, too. I enjoyed it, especially because all my friends were there. But after a year and a half, I had the chance to go to Miami and it was a really hard decision for me because once you find good people – and I was away from home – moving somewhere else and starting all over again can be kind of scary.
“But I talked to my family and some of my friends and realized that Miami was the best option for my diving career, and for my future. We all know that Miami is the best program in diving and it has been for a lot of years. So, if I want to get to the next level, it’s the best choice I can make. I decided to come here and it actually has been the best choice I could make.”
HM: What’s been your favorite part of being a Hurricane?
CP: “Well, of course, living in Miami is not bad at all. But I think it’s just the people I found here. I was so scared to start over again, but I actually found a family here at Miami. I think that’s the best part of it. And also, the campus is so beautiful. I can’t really complain about anything.”
HM: Free time can be hard to come by when you’re a college student-athlete, but what do you like to do when you can get away from the pool and classes for a little bit?
CP: “I think my favorite thing that we do, when we have time during the weekend, is just go to the beach and enjoy the weather and just hang out there at the beach. I also really enjoy going to a nice brunch with my friends, and with the team. We just like to disconnect from diving and school for a little bit.”
HM: Your first season as a Hurricane obviously proved to be really memorable. How do you build on it now moving forward and how do you want to see yourself continue to grow as a diver?
CP: “Honestly, I’m just going to try to work on myself and improve my diving for myself. And I think here in Miami is the best place I can do it, especially after this season. I realized that I’m improving every day a little bit. And after we were done at NCAA’s, the first thing I told Dario is that next year, we’re going to win both [the 1-meter and the 3-meter]. So, that’s going to be the goal. But at the same time, I just want to enjoy the process, just like this season.”
