William Tennent, Central Bucks West and Upper Moreland divers are featured. To view photos of both the boys’ and girls’ District One diving championships, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
Forlini is golden - Spectators attended the District One boys diving competition on Friday night at Upper Dublin expecting to see a duel between two of the area’s best divers, Ian Forlini of William Tennent and Ozzie Moyer of Souderton.
The two delivered.
After watching the lead go back and forth, Forlini snagged his second consecutive district crown with his final dive, ending the evening with a score of 602.45 points, shattering the District One Class AAA record of 570.95, set in 1998 by Steve Bohner of North Penn.
Forlini’s score also bested his own Upper Dublin pool record of 535.25, set at last year’s district meet, and his own school record of 538.30, set at last year’s PIAA championships.
Moyer, a senior who is headed to North Carolina, ended the day with a score of 587.40. He was the second place finisher at this meet all four years of his high school career, losing to three different divers; Zac Nees of North Penn in 2009, T.J. Schenkel of Council Rock South in 2010, and the past two seasons to Forlini.
“I’ve been working a lot of one-meter trying to prepare for this,” said Forlini, a sophomore. “I was working here all week. I wanted to solidify a good spot at districts.
“All I was really worried about was getting back to states.
“I was hoping for a better score than I got at Suburbans so obviously I did that. I didn’t expect to crack 600. That wasn’t even a goal of mine. I’m just really happy to do it.”
Forlini has qualified for the Olympic diving trials on the three-meter. He is coached by his mother, Lisa.
“We get along well,” he said. “We have a good relationship. We’re mother and son, but there isn’t any stress or fighting or anything. We really see eye-to-eye so it’s been good.”
Continental Conference
Saunders soars to silver - Rachel Saunders is moving upward.
The Central Bucks West junior was the runner-up at the District One Class AAA diving competition, held Saturday at Upper Dublin.
She scored 462.80 points over 11 dives to capture the silver medal, her highest ever finish at this meet.
She was fifth as a freshman and seventh last year. Since only the top seven advance to the PIAA championships, she nabbed the final state berth last year.
“Every year I want to improve my score, but my goal each year is to just make it into the top seven because that’s what gets you to states,” she said.
“Other than that, I try not to think of the future in diving because I don’t want to psyche myself out. I just kind of play it as it goes and focus on each dive as it comes.”
She was fourth at last year’s PIAA meet and 18th in 2010, making it to the semifinals her freshman year.
She was the runner-up at the Continental Conference championships, scoring 421.00 points to the 425.05 posted by Lindsay Schmidt of Central Bucks South.
Saunders set a school record for six dives this season, scoring 289.05 points to erase the previous mark of 283.60 set by Tricia Ney in 1983.
She also set a pool record for six dives at William Tennent this season with her score of 286.60. The previous mark was 250.00 by Tennent’s Amanda Burke.
Burke went on to a standout career at Rider, qualifying for the NCAA competition, and is a qualifier for the upcoming Olympic trials.
Over the summer, Saunders finished ninth on one-meter and 11th on three-meter at the AAU National championships at Riverside, Calif.
She was also 10th in one-meter synchro with partner Kelly Thatcher. Thatcher, a senior at Downingtown West, finished right behind Saunders at the district meet, taking third (453.00).
American Conference
Clean sweep for Golden Bears - Upper Moreland grabbed the top three spots at the District One Class AA girls diving competition, held on Saturday at Upper Dublin.
Sisters Natalee and Sydney Szopo finished first and second, respectively, while freshman Shannon Chambers took third.
Natalee won the meet with her score of 430.60 points, while Sydney scored 403.60 and Chambers 296.90.
The Szopos repeated their one-two finish from last year and will advance to the PIAA championships for the second year in a row.
Natalee finished second at last year’s state meet.
“I’m really looking forward to states,” she said. “It will be my last time there and I want to do well.”
She will dive at Towson next year.
At the conference meet, also held at Upper Dublin, she was the runner-up to Lize Keefer of Plymouth-Whitemarsh.
Keefer posted a pool record score of 467.50 points to nose out Szopo (466.85). Keefer subsequently lost the pool record at districts, when Class AAA champion Carolyn Howard of Lower Merion scored 472.50 points.
Sydney is also looking forward to the trip to Bucknell.
“Last year being at states with Natalee was a lot of fun,” she said. “This is our last year of competing together and we love to do that so this will be bittersweet because this is the end of that.
“It’s going to be very sad and emotional but we knew this was going to come to an end so hopefully we’ll both dive well and go out on a really good note.”
She finished fourth at states last year.
“I’m hoping to improve this year,” she said.
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