By Sam Bernard for The Montgomery News | Posted April 14, 2026
Going into her junior season, Madelyn Epstein and the Montgomery dive team were in a jam.
The Cougars had only two returning competitors, leaving Maddie to go on a recruiting trail in the offseason. Some of those new members had gymnastics backgrounds, similar to Epstein who originally did competitive trampoline and tumbling.
Dive Team Captain Madelyn Epstein
But, she decided to switch to diving in sixth grade — during the pandemic — because there were accessible outdoor practices. It did not take her long to conquer the fear of the high dive.
“It was difficult at first, but I think I got the hang of it pretty well,” Epstein said.
“I felt, especially for the first time, when you stood on the diving board and you had to go in head first, it was pretty scary,” she added.
Now a team captain for Coach Matt Lawrence’s squad, Maddie has done everything possible to contribute to the program, in and out of the pool.
“She’s running the social media for the sport. She’s heavily involved in clubs and other activities at the school. So, she has a lot going on. But, she’s definitely a leader. I mean, she takes the reins and she never complains; she’s never said, ‘I can’t do that,’ or ‘No.’ She’s very accommodating and she’s just a really, really great kid,” Lawrence said.
Her nonstop work ethic is partially inspired by her older sister, Kailey, who dives for MIT. But, Epstein has another season before hopefully kicking off her college career.
Maddie finished third at the state tournament with a career-best score.
“As well as Madelyn dove, there was a little bit of a scoring difference that the other girl certainly dove well and earned,” Lawrence said. “… But, it could have gone either way.”
Advertisement
When Epstein is not helping build the Cougars program and competing for them, she also dives for Jersey Diving Academy out of TCNJ and coaches at Princeton Community Park Pool. She applies that same care and dedication to her academics, and it is no surprise to Lawrence that she has achieved so much in her high school career: “She’s consistent, and she’s focused, and she brings that to the table. It’s not easy to do that,” Lawrence said. “Like, most kids, they don’t have the consistency, which kind of separates them from others.”
Advertisement
Maddie is meticulous in her approaches, studious in her practice and has the maturity to enjoy all that this sport has provided her over the years. When she steps onto the board, she considers her routine, takes a deep breath and can eliminate the outside noise, high above the water, has become a place of comfort: “Diving is definitely very mental,” Epstein said. “I think that’s one of the biggest challenges of the sport, and even to this day, you’re often struggling with, yes you can do it physically, but it’s often more mentally challenging.”
“I don’t know if the fear, honestly ever went away. I think I’m just better at calming it down and talking myself through it,” she added.
