5A girls diving: Denver East’s Morgan Manley takes home gold
THORNTON – With the awards at this year’s girls swim and dive state championships being handed out by former Colorado prep champions in honor of the sport’s 50th anniversary, Morgan Manley made sure she was the first to claim one.
The Denver East senior led throughout Tuesday night’s diving competition and threw down some huge dives in the finals, pulling away late to win the Class 5A diving competition. The highest-placing returner (fourth) from last year’s state competition, Manley entered the event as the favorite to win and she left little doubt with a score of 467.85.
She left Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center with both the gold medal and the 5A Diver of the Year award from the coaches.
“It’s just really exciting to be able to support my school and bring home a victory,” Manley said. “The high school meets are so much fun. All the girls are just kind and supportive, and it’s just a fun environment to be in. I fed off the good energy that everybody was sharing.”
Manley received her gold medal from Trish Dollaghan O’Donnell, who won diving state titles in 1974 and 1975 and went on to be an All-American at Arizona State University. This year’s state champion, who also won the Denver Public Schools City Championship, trumped her score from last year by 32.35 points.
Fort Collins sophomore Elle Gray finished runner-up with a score of 448.20. It was a satisfying finish for the 15-year-old who placed 23rd overall as a freshman last winter.
“It just took a lot of practice and training to be consistent and I did not expect this at all,” Gray said. “I was really surprised when my coach told me and I feel awesome right now. I’m just on top of the world. I was just listening to what my coaches said, absorbing their corrections and relying on my training. I just wanted to make it to finals and do my best to support my teammates.”
Regis Jesuit junior Sarah Mann placed third with a score of 439.10. Grandview sophomore Addison Campbell (438.55) was fourth, Columbine freshman Samantha Zakhem (429.65) was fifth, and Regis Jesuit junior Kathryn Jewell (428.75) was sixth.
Fountain-Fort Carson’s Tristen Riffe was voted 5A Dive Coach of the Year.
