North Allegheny’s Ethan Maravich, Maggie Lapina defend WPIAL Class 3A diving titles

By: Bob Orkwis
Saturday, February 21, 2026 | 1:14 PM

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Being the defending champion makes you a favorite in any competition. North Allegheny senior Ethan Maravich had that distinction Saturday morning at the WPIAL Class 3A diving championships.

What might not have been as expected was a push from fellow divers Anthony Farrah and Carter Wells.

Maravich did not take the lead until the eighth round, but finished strong to earn a score of 538.95 and capture his second consecutive gold medal in his home pool.

“It was tight, but I love the sound of that,” Maravich said when asked about winning back-to-back gold medals. “It probably was a little be tighter than it should have been, but I’m happy with the results.”

Farrah, a junior and Maravich’s North Allegheny teammate, finished second at 527.45.

Wells, an Upper St. Clair junior, took home the bronze medal with a score of 500.55.

Farrah posted the day’s highest score of 61.10, with another score of 60.75 on his last dive and three other dives of over 50 points.

Wells was the only diver to have two dives with 3.0 degrees of difficulty, and he also scored three dives of over 50 points.

Maravich said that he and Farrah had pushed each other all season, and Wells was part of that Saturday.

“We’ve been pushing each other all year, and today, whatever happens do your best, I just try to stay focused on myself,” Maravich said.

Trailing for a good part of the competition didn’t phase Maravich, who stated he doesn’t really look at the scoreboard until the semifinals are complete.

“I don’t even look at the scores until after the eighth round,” he said. “Then I’ll look and see what I have and what I need to do from there.”

It’s been a good two days for the gold medalist, as he was just accepted into West Point on Friday and plans to continue his diving career there.

“I’m really excited. I’ve been committed there for over a year,” Maravich said. “It’s going to be hard work, but I think it will pay off in the long run.”

Fox Chapel junior Gosha Pistsov finished fourth with a score of 423.40, to secure the final berth to the PIAA championships March 11 at Bucknell.

Maravich, who won a bronze medal in last year’s PIAA competition, is looking forward to finishing higher this year.

“There is a good bit of time between the events,” he said. “Depending on how the diving goes the next couple of weeks, I might add a couple of dives with a higher degree of difficulty, and I can be more confident at states.”

Lapina claims another girls championship

Maravich wasn’t the only North Allegheny diver to stand atop the podium Saturday. Wisconsin-bound North Allegheny senior Magge Lapina followed suit in the afternoon, posting a score of 494.70 to win back-to-back gold medals.

“I’m kind of shocked right now,” Lapina said after winning. “These meets, especially the WPIAL meet, are a little stressful. I’m proud that I was able to accomplish another goal.”

Lapina trailed heading into her final dive before scoring 55.35 to finish first.

“Patti (McClure, NA diving coach) and I have used that dive since I was a sophomore. It’s one of my favorite dives (2 and ½ twist). Doing that as my last dive, especially in this pool at North Allegheny was special. We saved the best for last.”

There was another dramatic moment in the final round, as Upper St. Clair Livia Tranquilli nailed her final dive to overcome a four-point deficit and become the WPIAL’s final qualifier for the state meet.

Mars senior Ali Waters earned the silver medal with a score of 452.40, improving on a fourth-place finish last year and earning a trip to the state meet.

Mars junior Marin Raible, who was seventh last year, earned bronze at 441.50.

Lapina said there were similarities and differences between last year’s win and this year’s gold medal.

“They’re both kind of the same,” she said. “There were easier parts and harder parts to both. This one is a little bit harder emotionally because that was my last competition ever here.”

The PIAA meet is March 12 at Bucknell.

“I really want to work on my attitude and mindset,” Lapina said about the state meet. “I want to go in with confidence, feeling good about all of my dives and doing good for myself trying to hit my goals.”

Lapina finished seventh at states last year.

Tags: North Allegheny