Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) saw two three-peat champions, the first 3A boys’ and girls’ sweep in 10 years, and a school’s first title as the league held the WPIAL 2A & 3A Diving Championships on February 25-26 at North Allegheny High School.
The 2A girls’ competition kicked the weekend off on Friday, February 25, followed by the 2A boys’ later that afternoon. Saturday began with the 3A girls’ divers before the 3A boys’ competitors finished the day.
A total of 23 divers across the four competitions qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Diving Championships, which will be held from March 16-19 at Kinney Natatorium on the campus of Bucknell University.
3A GIRLS’
North Allegheny junior Christina Shi became the sixth WPIAL student-athlete to win three 1-meter dive championships at the 3A classification, posting a score of 481.45 to begin Saturday’s portion of the WPIAL 3A Diving Championships.
Shi joins Chartiers Valley’s Maria Lohman (2012-15), Franklin Regional’s Samantha Pickens (2008-10), Montour’s Cassidy Krug (2001-03), Penn Hills’ Jen O’Brien (1997-00), and North Allegheny’s Jamie Tomazich (1994-96) as the only student-athletes to win three WPIAL diving titles at 3A.
Finishing second was Greater Latrobe junior Hannah Polosky, who registered a mark of 430.45. Seneca Valley senior Ashley Felitsky finished with a 405.80 over 11 dives to claim the bronze medal. Polosky previously placed fifth last season, while Felitsky moved up one spot from her fourth-place effort in 2021.
The top five finishers qualify for the PIAA Championships, with Shi, Polosky, and Feltisky moving on alongside North Allegheny freshman Lola Malarky (379.05) and Upper St. Clair junior Addison Burnette (372.85).
Seneca Valley freshman Maddison Monahan (365.40), Butler senior Dalayne Waterbec (360.55), and Pine-Richland freshman Kendyll Jerry (355.90) completed the podium by finishing inside the top eight.
A total of 23 divers competed in the 3A girls’ final.
3A BOYS’
North Allegheny junior Will Schenk made it a Tiger sweep on Saturday in the WPIAL 3A Diving Championships, capturing the gold medal on his final dive to post a total score of 428.60.
Schenk’s win marks the first time since 2012 that the same school produced both the 3A boys’ and girls’ champions in the 1-meter dive. Pine-Richland was the last school to pull off the sweep, doing so with Dominic Giordano and Lauren Lamendola.
The junior moved up one spot from his 2021 finish, as he finished runner-up to Fox Chapel’s David Manelis. He was followed on the leaderboard by Seneca Valley sophomore Isaiah Clerkley, who finished with a score of 418.20 to capture the silver medal, and his Clerkley’s teammate Jeremiah Laslavic, who registered a 394.40 to collect bronze.
Seneca Valley had a stellar afternoon, claiming four of the five PIAA Championship qualifier spots. After Schenk, Clerkley, and Laslavic, the Raiders saw senior Sam Skeen (361.95) and junior Sam Hersick (339.70) place fourth and fifth, respectively, to punch their ticket to Bucknell.
The remainder of the podium was made up of Fox Chapel freshman Jackson Hagler (319.45), Pine-Richland senior Dylan McCabe (316.90), and Bethel Park junior Jasper Harter-Hughes (304.60).
A total of 17 divers competed in the 3A boys’ final.
2A GIRLS’
North Catholic junior Maggie Foley added a third WPIAL gold to her trophy case, registering a score of 470.70 to win the 1-meter dive at Friday’s WPIAL 2A Diving Championships.
Foley’s third straight 2A title makes her the third student-athlete to win at least three in the 2A classification. She joins a club that includes Shady Side Academy’s Brittany Garza (1997-00) and Freeport’s Beth Clark (1993-96) – both of whom captured four straight championships in each of their careers.
Joining her on the medal stand was Quaker Valley freshman Ruby Olliffe, who won silver with a score of 393.10, and Thomas Jefferson sophomore Addison Arndt, who took home bronze after posting a mark of 342.45. Arndt climbed one spot from her previous finish of fourth last year.
The top six finishers advanced to the PIAA Championships, as the trio of Foley, Olliffe, and Arndt will be joined by Northgate sophomore Lilia Mackenzie (320.55), Quaker Valley sophomore Katie Blackmer (317.00), and Ringgold senior Brooke Mihalik (300.10).
Quaker Valley freshman Ruby Krotine (292.50) and Beaver sophomore Elizabeth Michael (291.20) completed the eight-person podium.
A total of 20 divers competed in the 2A girls’ final.
2A BOYS’
Ligonier Valley senior Nick Roddy netted a score of 409.25 over 11 dives, capturing gold to close the Friday portion of the WPIAL 2A Diving Championships.
Roddy is Ligonier Valley’s first student-athlete to win the PIAA District VII championship in the 1-meter dive after the school returned to the WPIAL from PIAA District VI prior to the 2020-2021 academic year.
Claiming the silver was Northgate sophomore Ryan Hartle, who improved upon his 12th-place finish from 2021 with a score of 315.10. Blackhawk sophomore Brecken Finkbeiner earned bronze after registering a score of 311.05, moving up two spots from his finish last year.
The top seven finishers qualified for the PIAA Championships, with Roddy, Hartle, and Finkbeiner advancing alongside Mars seniors Kellen Fletcher (304.90) and Kevin Butler (292.90), Derry freshman Jacob Hauser (292.20), and Hampton freshman Pax Carslaw (281.20).
Blackhawk sophomore Jonathan DeRose finished eighth with a score of 276.95 to complete the podium.
A total of 11 divers competed in the 2A boys’ final.
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