THORNTON – As the Class 3A diving state championships progressed, there were many moments when Laura Zupancic doubted her chances of rising to the top of the talented field competing.
 
But the Liberty Common senior decided to just go big with her best offerings and it paid off.
 
At Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center on Saturday, Zupancic scored a 447.35 to win by a narrow margin and claim her first state title as a senior.
 
“It feels really good,” Zupancic said. “This season, I just really worked on it and worked on consistency. I did my best dives today, which is really rewarding for me. I know I can do it, but doing them in competition isn’t always the easiest thing. After each dive, it was a relief but now I’m really happy.”
 
Zupancic, who placed 11^th as a junior last season, used a strong finish to hold off runner-up Kailyn Japuntich of Gunnison. Japuntich, who took eighth place in 2022, scored a 444.85 to finish just 2.5 points behind Zupancic.
 
After finishing in 13^th place as a junior last year, Kent Denver senior Davis Patteson placed third with a score of 411.95 and voted 3A Diver of the Year by the coaches.
 
Evergreen head coach Brett Brinkhoff was voted 3A Dive Coach of the Year.
 
“This one is really interesting because the diver of the year went to another school, which is great because she’s very deserving,” Brinkhoff said. “I was really surprised to get this award, actually. We’ve had a good season. The girls are you, so we’ll have a great season next year and the following year. So, this is nice.”
 
Estes Park senior Sadie Morgan placed fourth with a score of 410.20. Denver North freshman Avalon Johnson took fifth place with a time of 402.15. Kent Denver sophomore Dea Milenz scored a 400.70 to take sixth.
 
In seventh place, Fountain Valley’s Lily Cornett finished with 399.90 points. Ailish Ocasek of Evergreen placed eighth with 386.10 points. Northfield sophomore Ocean Pierce scored 375.85 points to take ninth place. Evergreen’s Julia Swanke rounded out the top ten with 375.60 points.
 
CHSAA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first girls swim and dive championship held in 1973. Throughout the championships, Colorado high school girls swimming legends will be handing out the awards.