Hun School senior Rowland Lawver repeated as boys diving champion and Notre Dame High School sophomore Violet Williamson became the newest girls diving champion when the Mercer County Tournament (MCT) returned for its 52nd year.
In 2021, the County Dive Championship meet did not take place.
The 2022 MCT Dive Championship, which occurred at The Lawrenceville School, featured 13 divers on Jan. 25.
Securing the championship with his score of 341.80, Lawver beat his previous championship score in 2020 of 326.50. His 341.80 came up just short of the meet record for the boys diving championship held by Notre Dame High School graduate and Duke University diver Seamus Harding, who posted the record of 342.15 in 2019.
“I was really hoping to be in first. I just wanted come in and have a good meet and just be proud of what I did in my last county meet,” said Lawver, who attends the Hun School in Princeton. “I was so much focusing on the placement, more about how I felt about my own performance. I felt really good about my list throughout the whole night and was a pretty consistent list. I was just happy to get everything off and get it off well.”
Lawver’s favorite dive is his front two-and-a-half.
“It is probably one of my most consistent and just really fun to do. I am really proud of my gainer two-and-a-half, it was one of my more nerve-wracking dives and I was just happy to perform it well,” he said. “I was really happy that we had the meet this year. I was a little nervous that it was not going to happen with all the news of Omicron. I am happy that I could have a good performance my senior year.”
He will be diving at Brown University next year.
The rest of the boys diving scores were: second place, Lawrence High School (LHS)’s Thomas Carpinelli (268.55); third place, LHS’s Beckham DiPierro (135.80); and fourth place, Princeton High School (PHS)’s Jake Gaudino.
For the girls diving championship, Williamson’s score of 267.10 earned her the 2022 championship. Williamson becomes champion following Alexandra “Ola” Kwasniewski’s championship win in 2020.
“I did have a good feeling that I would come out and get the top spot. I felt a lot of pressure, since the last couple of meets,” said Wiliamson, who attends Notre Dame High School in Lawrence Township. “It was just, get in and do my best and see what happens.”
Williamson said she did get a little nervous after warmups.
“Warmups were a little rough, but I started getting into my list and getting into a rhythm; it started to feel good. I started to feel confident,” she said. “A lot of divers who have come before me have been at this championship meet and it is so cool to see myself in this position that I have seen so many of my friends in. I’m just continuing this legacy and it is pretty cool.”
Her one inward one-half and front twister are the dives she enjoyed the most.
Following Williamson, The Lawrenceville School’s Dylan Oster placed second with a score of 243.10; third place was Hun School’s Elisabeth Evaldi (240.60); fourth place, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School’s Christine de Jong (179.00); fifth place, Lawrenceville School’s James Van Meter (157.60);
Sixth place, Lawrenceville School’s Maddy Laws (134.70); seventh place, Hopewell Valley Central High School’s Anne Le Morvan (132.95); eighth place, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South’s Tvisha Srikanth (131.05); and ninth place was LHS’s Tala Howe (122.10).
The 13 divers at the championship represented Princeton High School, Lawrence High School, Hun School, Notre Dame High School, The Lawrenceville School, Hopewell Valley Central High School, West Windsor-Plainsboro South, and West Windsor-Plainsboro North.
For the fourth time in five year years, Lawrence High School was also named the Co-Ed Team Diving Champions with 36 points. The Cardinals just edged out The Lawrenceville School Big Red by one point. The Big Red finished the meet with 35 points.