At the Section V Class A Diving Sectionals last weekend, Churchville-Chili placed three in the top 10 (all freshmen) while Hilton’s Matthew Wilson took home top honors and teammate Nick Kuczynski finished eighth.
Saints freshman Kyler Thomas finished second with 421.40 points. He is the highest scoring freshman in Section V this year, is the second highest scoring freshman in all of New York State based on current data, is ranked 32nd overall in the state and already is the third highest scoring diver in Saints boys diving history.
Classmates Trevor Caldwell and Isaac Bailey finished seventh and ninth with 333.85 and 297.25 points respectively. Bailey just started diving competitively this season.
“These three boys are incredibly hard workers and they’re always willing to try something new,” Churchville-Chili diving coach Ricky Lehman-Krebs said. “That drive is a huge factor in their success. My hope is that their ongoing success will encourage more kids to join the swimming and diving team.
“As teammates they’ve naturally pushed each other to be the best they can be. But these boys have also made friends with many of the divers in Section V. I think I can speak for the other area diving coaches when I say, that camaraderie and energy has really been beneficial to all of our athletes.
“Isaac is new this year. In three months, he went from brand new, to finishing ninth at sectionals. His athleticism, hard work, and determination got him to where he is today. He’s an incredible athlete and I received many compliments about how much he has improved from officials and coaches at the end of the season.”
“Trevor is in his second season on varsity. He started as an eighth grader. Trevor is a jack of all trades. He has the most sectional qualifications on our team for both swimming and diving. This year he really honed his skill on the boards, he jumped higher, flipped faster, and threw some big dives that we’ll start implementing next season. I think Trevor has the ability to be great at whatever he setshis mind to, I’m excited to see where that takes him.
“Kyler is also in his second season. Starting halfway through his 8th grade season he’s improved immensely. To be brand new to a sport last season and almost make a state cut a year later is unheard of. This season he really came into his own on the boards.
“I like my divers to be active participants in their diving careers and have a say in what they do. Kyler took that and ran. At sectionals this year his entire diving list was brand new. He asked for newer harder dives, more twists, different positions, you name it. The drive to be his best earned him third highest scoring in Churchville-Chili diving history and we’ve still got three years to go! I think it’s a very strong possibility that we’ll be making a trip to the state competition next season.”
Cadets senior Matthew Wilson finished in first place with 452.50 points moving up from his fifth-place finish one year ago. He improved his total by 54 points year over year. Kuczynski, a sophomore, totaled 303.40 points to slot in eighth.
