SV's Clerkley wins 2nd WPIAL 3A diving title
WEXFORD — Isaiah Clerkley's attempt at a second straight WPIAL Class 3A boys diving title offered no drama Saturday afternoon at North Allegheny High School.
Seneca Valley's senior finished with a score of 583.35, over 100 points in front of runner-up Jackson Hagler of Fox Chapel (480.25).
"Isaiah's diving today was a beautiful thing to watch," said SV coach Nancy Laslavic. "He put everything together."
Clerkley led the 15-diver field after the first round (five dives) and semifinals (three dives).
His most difficult test was an inward 2½ somersault dive that he'd been working on.
"That was my second dive and I scored 60 points on it, so it went pretty well," he said. "My recent practices were focused on being consistent and making sure I was confident in all my dives."
Clerkley picked up diving as a freshman. He finished second in the WPIAL as a sophomore before winning his first title last year.
"Standing on top of that podium today, it felt a little different than last year, but it wasn't about the medal for me. It was about my performance," he said. "It feels great and I'm proud of how far I've come and what I accomplished."
Clerkley will dive in college at Penn State, but he has one high school competition remaining, the state championship meet at Bucknell University in Lewisburg next month.
Also earning a medal in the boys meet were SV seniors Miles Miller (fourth, 453.90) and Colin Stevens (sixth, 385.55). Miller will join Clerkley at the state meet.
In the WPIAL Class 3A girls competition, held Saturday morning, Mars senior Emily Mueller reached states with a fourth-place score of 390.55.
Seneca Valley's Ali Waters (sixth, 373.80) and Mars' Mya Lee (eighth, 359.20).earned trips to the medals stand.
"Awesome," Laslavic said of SV's collective effort. "It was a fantastic day for us."
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