SF’s Mahoney repeats as WPIAL diving champ
MOON – South Fayette senior Trevor Mahoney hit a dive that scored just enough on his final attempt to edge John Ek of Laurel Highlands and repeat as the WPIAL Class AA boys diving champion Friday at Moon High School.
Mahoney finished with a score of 427.05 to Ek’s 426.15.
Ek’s final dive scored 54.60 and Mahoney, who won with a score of 415.85 to beat Ek in 2016, hit a dive that scored 42.0, just enough to catapult him back into first place.
Mahoney finished fifth in the WPIAL as a freshman, second as a sophomore and now has won back-to-back titles.
Repeating was something he wanted, but he also
“I know I can dive better,” said Mahoney, who has narrowed his college choices to Westminster, Clarion and Cleveland State.
“States is my next goal, my major goal.”
Teammate Shane O’Donnell finished sixth at the competition. The top six divers all advance to the PIAA championships.
But Mahoney and Ek were clearly the two favorites going in.
“I didn’t overthink anything,” Mahoney said. “I just dove the way I knew I can.”
Mahoney won a bronze medal at last year’s PIAA championships and hopes to improve upon that finish.
South Fayette coach A.J. Mannarino said if Mahoney takes the same mentality into the PIAA championships, which will be held March 15 through 18 at Bucknell University, he should be fine.
“He was able to focus his throughts and visualize his dives,” said Mannarino.