4A Diving: Henry Palmquist Continues Evergreen’s Streak of Champions

ARVADA – It’s not three, not four, but five-straight diving state titles now for Evergreen’s boys swimming and diving program, as Henry Palmquist was crowned the 4A Boys Diving Champion early Friday afternoon at the Arvada Aquatics Center.

Palmquist finished second to his former teammate – and three-time state champion – Carson Harrington at last year’s state meet after placing fourth as a freshman and sophomore. Prior to Harrington, the Cougars’ Kian Smith had won the 2022 diving title.

“I’ve been runner-up [on our team] all of the past years; junior, sophomore and freshman year,” Palmquist said. “I’ve always had Carson Harrington beat me, as my teammate.”

This year – Palmquist’s senior season – was different though. Recording an impressive score of 621.15, Palmquist not only rose to the top, but he now owns the fifth-best all-classification winning mark in state meet history, and the third-best at the 4A level.

“It was a massive weight off my shoulders. Seeing the score up there… it was a huge relief,” Palmquist said, who was named the CHSCA Diver of the Year after the meet. “I just tried my hardest. I really had no expectations going in.”

“I feel very rewarded every time they step up and make history like this,” said Cougars head coach Brett Brinkhoff, who was voted the CHSCA Diving Coach of the Year. “We [Evergreen High School] bring great athletes to every sport, including diving. I’ve just been lucky with being a part of the greatest version of that.”

While the fifth-straight diving title provides a bit of a swan song for the coach, who will be retiring at the end of this season, it also opens the door for a new champion next year. Each of the top-three finishers this year are graduating seniors, as Green Mountain senior Britton Hooper finished runner-up with a score of 597.50 and senior Rider Neeb of Silver Creek finished in third place with a score of 558.55. Monarch junior Casey Halloran took fourth (553.25) and Thompson Valley’s Nathaniel Chou – a sophomore – rounded out the top five with a score of 493.35.

The 2026 4A Swimming and Diving State Championships will continue this evening with the swimming prelims at the Arvada Aquatics Center. Swimming finals are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. tomorrow.