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Diving right in

Warren’s trio of first-year performers learning quickly

From left are freshmen Gracie Page and Kinzlea Chase and senior Eliza Brook of the Warren swimming and diving team. Photo submitted

Freshmen Kinzlea Chase and Gracie Page, and senior Eliza Brook, share a common bond — they’re all first-year divers.

They share another bond — they have all qualified to compete in the upcoming District 10 2A Championships.

On Monday, they finished 1-2-3, respectively, against Cathedral Prep in their final regular season meet at the Warren YMCA.

Chase — from Youngsville High School — finished with a season-high 223.75 points, Page was second with 172.25, and Brook third at 149.65.

“This has been a grueling month plagued with illness and injury across the whole diving team,” said Warren diving coach Brandon Gregg. “Each one of these girls showed up and put forth 100 percent effort everyday, no matter if they were in the pool or peer-coaching from the bench. I am very proud of the drive and teamwork they showed this season.

“We have the McDowell invite this Saturday,” said Gregg, “and D10 districts the following week. These girls are hungry for a podium finish and in their own words, ‘we leave no crumbs.'”

Warren’s diving team has had its share of region all-stars and District 10 and state medalists, most recently with Katie Madigan being named all-state after winning two straight D10 titles and a bronze medal at the PIAA 2A Championships. She now dives for Division 2 Clarion University.

However, Gregg called it “very rare” for first-year divers to succeed at this rate.

“Kinzlea and Gracie are neck and neck almost every meet,” he said. “Between the pair of Kinzlea and Gracie, they are undefeated all year.

“This group of girls have taken to this extremely challenging sport with almost no resistance,” added Gregg of the senior captain and two freshmen. “They push each other back and forth everyday to see who can do the harder dive or get the higher score. It is awesome to watch them have so much fun. They all come from athletic backgrounds, but it comes down to work ethic. They show up ready to work every practice. They watch film in the off-time. They never set a limit for themselves, constantly reaching for the next hardest dive. They travel to watch college meets on the weekends. These girls love this sport and it shows.”

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