Gateway’s Passalinqua aims for success at WPIAL diving championships

By: Michael Love
Friday, February 25, 2022 | 1:05 PM

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Noah Passalinqua established himself as a major player in Class 3A boys diving throughout the season, and now he hopes to make his mark on a championship stage.

The Gateway junior will make his WPIAL meet debut Saturday at North Allegheny High School. He is seeded seventh overall with goals of finishing as high as possible in the standings and making it to the PIAA championships in Bucknell three weeks from now.

“This is my first WPIAL meet, and I am pretty excited,” Passalinqua said.

“I am the only one from Gateway, so I have to go in with the mindset that I am representing my team and my school. I am excited for that. That really motivates me.”

Each of the 17 divers in the Class 3A boys competition will complete five dives in the first round. The field will be trimmed for the semifinals (dives six through eight) and then again for the finals (dives nine through 11).

The top five finishers in boys Class 3A will qualify for states. The last Gateway boys diver to earn a spot at the PIAA championships was Mehran Hedjazi, who finished third at WPIALs as a senior in 2006 and went on to place 10th at states.

“I feel I am prepared. The coaches have done a great job helping me get ready. Right now, it’s working on minuscule details,” Passalinqua said.

Passalinqua positioned himself in the top 10 with a season-best 229.75 score in a Feb. 1 nonsection meet with Latrobe.

“I just want to perform the best I can. I can’t worry about anyone else but myself,” he said.

North Allegheny’s Will Schenk is the top-seeded diver with a score of 289.60, followed by Bethel Park’s Jasper Harter-Hughes (252.25) and Fox Chapel’s Jackson Hagler (247.95). In the Class 3A girls competition, Latrobe’s Hannah Polosky (324.60) leads the field, followed by North Allegheny’s Christina Shi (293.75) and Seneca Valley’s Ashley Felitsky (272.30).

The Triblive High School Sports Network will provide a live video stream of Saturday’s girls and boys championships starting at 11 a.m.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway