Quaker Valley diver claims more WPIAL silver, looks forward to state meet

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, March 2, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Quaker Valley senior Ruby Olliffe repeated as runner-up at the WPIAL Class 2A girls diving championships Feb. 21 at North Allegheny.

Olliffe, a Bucknell recruit, racked up a final score of 431.95 to finish second to Hampton junior Gabby Elk, whose winning score was 444.25.

“At one point through the WPIAL meet, Ruby was winning,” QV diving coach Vernon Yenick said, “and then Gabby, the reigning champion, did a forward two-and-a-half somersault for very high scores. She pulled ahead by 13 points.”

Elk is the ninth girls diver in WPIAL history to repeat as champion in Class 2A.

Olliffe placed second last year with a 405.55 score, slightly ahead of QV’s Katie Blackmer, who posted a 405.25.

Blackmer was a senior in 2023-24 and is a freshman diver at Idaho. She was a three-time WPIAL and PIAA finalist for the Quakers.

This year’s PIAA swimming and diving finals will take place March 12-15 at Kinney Natatorium on the Bucknell campus.

Olliffe ended up sixth and seventh at the state championships as a freshman and sophomore, respectively. She placed fourth at states last season.

“I fully expect Ruby to have a more consistent list of dives at PIAAs where she gets basically the equal or close to the same scores on each dive,” Yenick said. “That’s how you win meets. She usually trains really well between WPIALs and states, so I think she will be prepared and rested so that she can showcase her best performance.

“Ruby is a talented and experienced diver and is committed to Bucknell University, which is where states are held. It will be her home pool for the next four years.”

The top seven Class 2A divers in the WPIAL advance to the PIAA championships.

Along with Elk and Olliffe, the WPIAL qualifiers are Derry seniors Chaeli Keenan and Ella Sylvis, Winchester Thurston senior Leila Monahan and Derry sophomores Genavieve Hoyle and Lidia Gamble.

“Ruby did amazing (at WPIALs), only 12.30 points behind first place,” said QV head coach Mercedes McCarthy. “She came through with a can-do approach. She was in second going into the back half of the competition, cutting the point spread down with each dive to where she was in the lead after her 10th dive.

“It’s good for her to compete with such a talented diver as Gabby Elk. It will benefit Ruby in her college diving career. The next step for Ruby is up. Bucknell will be her home board for the next four years. Watching her dive at her college pool with her future coach present will be exciting. I expect her to be very comfortable.”

Olliffe prepared for the 2025 postseason by earning a gold medal Feb. 14 at the Midwestern Athletic Conference diving championships.

Both the QV girls and boys teams finished in the runner-up position at the MAC event.

“Our ‘small but mighty’ motto really came into play at the MAC meet,” McCarthy said. “I’ve very proud of how many of the boys took first place at many of the dual meets this season and the girls staying strong in both talent and numbers to return as the section champs.”

Four seniors — Olliffe, West Chester recruit Margaret Getty, Thomas Fuener and Ryan Steinfurth — have served as QV team captains in 2024-25.

“Like all coaches, our WPIAL expectations are, ‘Let’s have great swims, stick to the plan. Let’s move on to states,’ ” McCarthy said. “Our team captains have really showed the team how to be successful in the dual meets and moving onto the championship level.

“All (four captains) made the podium at MACs. All are WPIAL qualifiers. And Ruby punched her ticket to states.”

WPIAL qualifiers

The following QV swimmers qualified for the WPIAL Class 2A meet at Pitt’s Trees Pool.

Girls: Getty (200 free, 500 free), freshmen Amelia Suhayda (100 fly, 100 free) and Cali Murawski (50 free), sophomore Lydia Kilpela (100 back).

Boys: Fuener (100 fly, 100 back), Steinfurth (100 free, 100 back) and Adlan Hifri (100 breast), junior Marcus Zhan (200 free, 500 free), freshman Augustin Zhan (100 IM, 500 back).

All six relay teams at QV also advanced to the WPIAL meet.

Tags: Quaker Valley