Youth Is Served at 2012 WPIAL Class AA Diving Finals

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, February 25, 2012 | 12:11 AM

At South Park High School, a youth movement was served as South Park sophomore Bill Rountree and  Chartiers Valley freshman Maria Lohman won the 2012 Boys and Girls Class AA Diving Championships respectively. Rountree won his first title on home water but it wasn't easy, while Lohman cruised to an easy victory.   Overall South Park will send 2 girls and one boy to the state championships, and South Fayette will send one boy and one girl.

In the boys portion of the contest which took place in the late morning and early afternoon, history was made. The top three finishers were within 1.45 points after 11 dives. Each dive was critical thru out for as many as 4 divers held the lead at one point. Each of the top 6 divers missed dives and opened the door for each other. Rountree was in 3rd after 10 dives and won scoring 31.65 on his last dive. He had to wait as Josh Vasko and Stephen Zombeck both had their last dive upcoming. Vasko scored a  28.05 and Zombeck a 35.00 but each fell just short.

In the girls event held in the mid afternoon Lohman made it look easy as she easily outclassed the competition. Her lead grew with each dive as she averaged 43 points per dive. Her last dive scoring a monstrous 51.20 to solidify her first WPIAL Championship. Finishing second was Trinity Senior Kathleen Dunst with 414.75 a respectable score and one that could win in most years. Lohman was cool, calm and collected all afternoon. It was obvious from watching her dives she had everything in hand. Her exit from the board, poistion and movement in the air, and entry into the water were all that much better than all the other competitors all day. Only in her fourth year of diving she has goals of multi WPIAL and PIAA championships. She came into the meet thinking she had a chance to best the WPIAL record of 505.45 set by Brittany Garza in 1998. Lofty goals for a very confidant Freshman.

The top six in each boys and girls will move on to the state finals at Bucknell University

WPIAL Boys 1M Diving:

1.  Bill Rountree       –         South Park        –       301.60
2.  Stephen Zombeck   –     South Fayette     –      301.45
3.  Josh Vasko       –           Elizabeth Forward  –   300.15
4.  Dewey Fry         –          Blackhawk        –        282.55
5.  Micah Ringer      –          Beaver            –          268.30
6.  Daniel Jones       –         Uniontown       –          264.00
7.  Austin Hall            –       Riverside          –         235.85
8.  Josh Mackin        –        Brentwood        –         226.55
9.  Braden Carei         –       Uniontown       –          225.65
10. John Posnosky   –         Beaver             –         224.70

WPIAL Girls 1M Diving:

1.  Maria Lohman       –        Chartiers Valley   –      470.95
2.  Kathleen Dunst    –         Trinity            –            414.75
3.  McKenzie Stelter     –      Mohawk         –           358.30
4.  Noelle Melani         –       South Park        –         337.45
5   Tiffany Melani         –       South Park     –           315.70
6.  Grace Klimek        –        South Fayette     –      311.65
7.  Morgan Marion       –       Riverside          –         309.05
8.  Alexandra Misenhelter –  Mars          –               307.75
9.  Becca Tarczy        –       Thomas Jefferson  –     302.15
10. Megan Baker    –           Montour            –         274.05

Tags: Chartiers Valley