WEBSTER – No Section III competitor who took part in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association girls swimming and diving championships had a better finish than Jamesville-DeWitt diver Kayla McQuaid.
When the top divers gathered last Friday at Webster Aquatic Center near Rochester, McQuaid brought with her valuable experience from her 2023 trip to the state meet which resulted in a 14th-place finish.
Working her way through the first half of the competition, McQuaid earned 210.00 points and advanced to the finals with 11 others, including her season-long rival, Liverpool’s June Piorkowski.
Though not quite able to keep up with the leaders, McQuaid still finished with exactly 450 points which put her in eighth place and on the medal podium, just being out Piorkowski’s 11th-place total of 433.80.
Fredonia’s Elizabeth Pucci-Schaefer earned both the NYSPHSAA and Federation diving titles, the senior gaining 503.50 points to edge the 493.60 of Manhasset’s Victoria Wang.
Christian Brothers Academy diver Sophia Osvoldik would not make it to the championship round, ultimately taking 28th place with 187.05 points from her early-round efforts.
J-D, who won both the Section III Class B and George Falwell Cup titles earlier in November, would have Thearyn Wales compete on both individual and relay events.
Having broken the one-minute mark in the 100-yard backstroke at the sectional meet, Wales could not quite do so here, settling for 1:00.69 for 31st place. Canton’s Gretchen Braun claimed the state championship in 53.69 seconds to earn All-American status.
Moving to the 200 freestyle relay, J-D’s quartet of Wales, Evelyn Jones, Cora Bright and Nora Barnello would blaze to a season-best time of 3:47.23 and finish 20th. Long Beach won in 3:29.89 led by sophomore Vivienne Sargano, who also was victorious in the 200 and 500 freestyle events.
