By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Victoria Shay feels like there is something special about the Mercer County Diving Championship meet.
On Wednesday at Montgomery High she continued to show she is a special diver as she captured her third straight county title.
“It is really a great win for me,” said Shay, whose score of 233.55 edged out West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Elena Li, who finished with a 218.25. “I have been working really hard and it is rewarding that all of my hard week is paying off. I really enjoy this meet. It is nice competing against some really good competition. Everyone at the meet is very supportive and encouraging. It is a great group to compete against.”
Lawrence High’s Adam LeCompte repeated as boys champion, finishing with a score of 253. The Skyland Conference championships were also held at the same meet, with Montgomery’s Annie Hathaway capturing the individual title with a score of 240.40. The Cougars’ Carolyn Maslanka was third.
On the team side, West Windsor-Plainsboro South emerged with the team title. Li was second in the girls competition, while Catherine Kenney was second, Courtney Kraft was fourth, Lillie Widmayer was fifth, and Allison Wold was sixth to pace the Pirates.
For Shay, winning a third straight Mercer title set up a chance to make it four in a row next year as a senior.
“I beat my score from last year by 12 points,” said Shay, who competes for the Blue Dolphins. “I added another new dive. I have been working hard on my list and I think my scores showed how they resembled the way I dive. “I have my routines just as any athlete does. I try to keep focused listening to music and getting into a zone. I try to visualize my dives. It’s also about having fun and meeting new people. Diving is something I really enjoy and I enjoy the people around me.”
WW-P South put together a strong meet to come away with the team title.
“Our divers have worked hard all season to get to the Mercer County Tournament,” South coach Kathy Diringer said. “Our team has a lot of depth, with five freshmen divers — Elena Li, Courtney Kraft, Allison Wold, Tanner Hahn and Sarah Donato — and three returning divers — Yash Dattani, Lillie Widmayer and sophomore Catherine Kenney. I am so proud of all of the divers who competed today. Diving is such a difficult sport to excel in and it is great when the results of their hard work are recognized.”
