Earlier this month, the Section V Class A Diving Championship took place at the Churchville-Chili Natatorium. Churchville-Chili junior Kyler Thomas won this year’s title, posting a total score of 516.30 points to win the meet by 13.5 points. Thomas’ win puts him in good company alongside the three other Churchville-Chili diving champions in program history.
Churchville-Chili’s very first Diving Champion was 2003 graduate Scott Horsington. Scott held both the six dive (265.05) and 11 dive (457.35) school records, won the sectional championship title in 2001 and 2002, and was a two-time state finalist. As a senior, he was named team MVP. After graduation, Horsington competed for SUNY Fredonia, winning the SUNYAC conference title three times and becoming a three-time All-American. Scott currently teaches high school band at Greece Odyssey and is the Head Diving Coach for SUNY Brockport, where he was named SUNYAC Diving Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2024. Scott was inducted into the Churchville-Chili Athletic Hall of Fame in 2024.
It would be 16 years before Churchville would take home the diving title again. Jake Calus, who graduated in 2021, was a sophomore at the time, winning the 2018 title while the new Churchville-Chili pool was under construction. Jake went on to break both the six dive (343.05) and 11 dive (586.25) school records, five area pool records, made three state meet appearances, was named MVP three times, earned the Churchville Athletic Department Career Athlete Award, and was named All-American twice. To date, Calus is the only All-American in Churchville-Chili Swimming & Diving history. After high school, Jake went on to dive at SUNY Geneseo, where he was named All-American after a top-eight finish at the national competition. Calus is currently in his senior year at Geneseo and plans to pursue a career in marine biology.
Churchville’s third sectional champion was 2022 graduate Meredith Fingler. Fingler joined the diving team as a junior. Having a background in gymnastics, Fingler proved a force to be reckoned with during her time in the program. During her senior year, Fingler performed the hardest dive in Section V and landed as the second-highest-scoring diver in Churchville girls diving history for both six dives (268.70) and 11 dives (422.10). Her 2022 sectional win marked the first individual win in any event for Churchville-Chili girls in more than 20 years, earning her the team’s MVP award. Fingler is currently a junior at the University of Scranton studying Kinesiology.
The Saints’ most recent champion is junior Kyler Thomas, who won the title on February 1, 2025. With one year left in his high school career, Thomas has already built the foundation of a lasting legacy in the district. To date, Kyler has qualified for sectionals four times and finished second twice. He made state finals in 2024 finishing 14th, and is a two-time MVP. Kyler won the 2025 CC Diving Classic, Webster Yeti Classic, Monroe County Diving Championship, and Section V Class A Diving Championship this season. He currently holds two area pool records and is the second-highest-scoring diver in district history for both six dives (308.85) and 11 dives (516.30). This March, Thomas will compete in the 2025 NYS Diving Competition hosted at Ithaca College.
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