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Anderson takes sixth at state dive meet

CANTON — East Palestine senior Faith Anderson closed out her high school career the way she planned.

Anderson placed sixth in the Division II girls state diving meet at Branin Natatorium on Wednesday morning.

“I couldn’t have been any happier with how it turned out,” she said. “I was really consistent all day.”

Her score of 414.20 on her 11 dives off the 1-meter board Wednesday was the most in her four trips to the state meet.

Anderson’s goal was to stand on the podium this year. She missed it by one spot last year placing ninth after finishing 15th as a sophomore and 19th as a freshman.

“It was amazing. I wanted to do that since the first time I went,” she said. “To meet that goal is the last thing I can cross of my list in high school.”

She was leading early on before being in seventh place after the first five preliminary dives.

“I was bouncing between first and second for a little bit,” Anderson said. “I knew I was capable of doing something like that, but I wasn’t expecting it.”

She settled into sixth place over her final four dives.

“I knew I would keep that up I would get on the podium,” Anderson said. “Last year I messed up my last dive. And it was the same dive this time. If I do what I do in practice every day, I would be all right.”

The last dive, a front 1 1/2 flip with a twist, sealed her podium finish.

“It’s not a hard dive for me,” Anderson said. “It was a fluke thing for me last year.”

It was a loaded field with eight of the top 12 finishers from last year back. Anderson’s previous state experience was a benefit.

“I didn’t have as much nerves as I normally do,” she said. “There was a lot of talent this year.”

Anderson came in seeded eighth out of 24 divers after placing third at the Cleveland State district last weekend.

West Geauga junior Kamryn Goodrick won the Division II state title with a score of 468.30. Goodrick, who entered the state meet as the third seed, was the state runner-up as a freshman and finished third as a sophomore.

“I wouldn’t say she was the favorite coming in,” Anderson said. “She was really consistent today and deserved it.”

State notes

¯ What did Anderson do to celebrate her state finish? She went to her brother’s seventh-grade basketball game later Wednesday where she was receiving a lot of pats on the back.

“It’s not common for someone at my school to go to state,” she said. “When someone does, it gets a lot of attention.”

¯ This fall, Anderson is heading to James Madison University, an NCAA Division I program in Virginia, on a partial athletic scholarship.

“I’ll probably take a week-and-a-half off and get back to my training,” she said.

¯ Crestview junior Rebekah Klem and West Branch freshman Jamyson Robb will compete in the 100-yard breaststroke in the Division II girls state swimming meet this afternoon.

“I don’t know any of them,” Anderson said. “I’ve heard their names and I hope they do well.”

¯ This is the 90th annual state meet for the boys and 41st annual for the girls.

¯ State action continues daily through Saturday at Branin Natatorium at Canton McKinley High School. Today’s schedule includes the Division I girls diving meet at 9 a.m. and the Division II girls and boys swimming preliminaries at 5 p.m.

Name Grade School Score

1. Kamry Goodrick Jr. West Geauga 468.30

2. Esther Lawrence Jr. Columbus Academy 455.10

3. Janie Boyle Soph. Cleveland Orange 438.40

4. Jordan Skilken Sophm. Columbus Academy 428.10

5. Erica Henrichsen Sr. Sandusky Perkins 420.70

6. Faith Anderson Sr. East Palestine 414.20

7. Emma Hellman Sr. Summit Country Day 403.25

8. Sawyer Weitzel Sr. Celina 397.95

9. Jamie Doak Soph. Hathaway Brown 397.85

10. Sara Parker Sr. Dayton Oakwood 392.95

11. Kaley Pook Sr. Dayton Christian 391.05

12. Tay Peters Fr. Bryan 361.90

13. Patience Bachman Sr. Waseon 360.30

14. Kenzie Pluto Sr. Port Clinton 359.20

15. Audrey Seeman Fr. Napoleon 358.90

16. Hannah Zahniser Fr. West Geauga 356.45

——

17. Annie Garrettson Jr. Cincinnati Indian Hill 261.40

18. Mia Schempf Sr. Bowling Green 258.80

19. Mara Kinsey Jr. Bay Village Bay 258.80

20. Kyleigh Spang Soph. Cincinnati Mariemont 240.00

——

21. Allison Sandberg Sr. St. Marys Memorial 156.30

22. Lexi Magenheim Cincinnati Indian Hill 155.95

23. Britney Meienburg Soph. Napoleon 154.50

24. Alina Lewandowski Jr. Dayton Oakwood 149.30

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