Four local summer diving teams in the GazetteLeader’s coverage areas won division championships in the Northern Virginia Swimming League.
The Oakton Otters, with a 4-1 record, finished first in Division I for the third year in a row. Overall the division crown was the team’s fourth straight, winning Division II in 2021.
In Division II this summer, Highlands Swim Club of McLean won the crown with a 5-0 mark. The team won the Division III and IV titles the two summers before.
In Division VII, Arlington Forest (4-1) tied for the championship with Rutherford pool of Fairfax.
In Division VIII, McLean’s Hamlet (4-1) finished in a three-way tie for first place.
The four champions clinched titles with lopsided victories in their final regular-season meets the night of July 16. Oakton defeated Fairfax, 50-22, Highlands downed Sleepy Hollow Recreation, 46-26, Arlington Forest topped Commonwealth Swim Club, 45-27, and Hamlet routed Ilda Community, 56-11.
Arlington Forest last won a division championship back in 2017, going 5-0 in Division III. The team had not had another winning record until this summer.
In its win, Oakton divers won seven of the eight age divisions. Those winners were Sophia Blanco (freshman girls, 75.25), Gabe Wilson (freshman boys, 72.85), Simone Wilson (junior girls, 107.10), Charlotte Henderson (intermediate girls, 112.60), Caleb McManus (intermediate boys, 122.25), Isabelle Whang (senior girls, 203.15) and Brendan Doe (senior boys, 253.10).
Second for Oakton were Lauren Emerick (junior girls), Connor Timm (intermediate boys) and Thibault Lede (senior boys).
For Highlands in its July 16 win, the six first-place finishers were Ivy Rasmussen (freshman girls, 78.95), John Berik (freshman boys, 89.90), Faustino Fredes (junior boys, 141.20), Olivia Berik (intermediate boys, 162.15), Trent Hooton (junior boys, 142.75) and Erin Wills (senior girls, 191.75. Second were Julia Paukovits (junior girls), Connor Stith (junior boys), James Chen (intermediate boys) and Lucas Stadelmann (senior boys).
Winning age divisions for Arlington Forest were Mia Harbeck (freshman girls, 62.45), Connor Bergen (freshman boys, 67.60), Alexander Stewart (junior boys, 97.75), Claire Polsinelli (intermediate girls, 93.10), Matthew Petruccelli (intermediate boys, 111.60), Julia Green (senior girls, 151.60) and Quinn Coogen (senior boys, 157.05).
Second for Arlington Forest were Ella Turner (junior girls), Tanner Green (junior boys) and Banks Buergler (intermediate boys).
Winners for Hamlet in its meet were Grace Wegner (freshman girls, 63.60), Noah Collazo (freshman boys, 55.70), William Gentry (junior boys, 61.75), Miah Collazo (intermediate girls, 120.50), Alan Fu (intermediate boys, 177.05), Erin Kass (senior girls, 151.35) and Cooper Short (senior boys, 177.60.
Second for Hamlet were Alicia Pereira Kim (freshman girls), Emeric Alvarez (freshman boys), Kate Gentry (junior girls), Campbell Kurpiel (intermediate girls), Jacob Ross (intermediate boys), Morgan Kass (senior girls) and Savas Emanuel (senior boys).
Tying for second place in Division I were Vienna Woods and Arlington’s Donaldson Run with 3-1-1 records. The teams tied their final regular-season meet at 36.
In Division II, McLean’s Kent Gardens finished second with a 4-1 mark, routing Hunt Valley, 49-23, in its final meet.
In Division IV, Great Falls (3-2) finished third, nipping Highland Park, 36-35, in its final meet.
In Division VI, McLean’s Tuckahoe (3-2) was third, defeating Mansion House, 53-15, in its final meet.
Hamlet blew out Ilda Community, 56-11, in its last meet, winning seven of the eight age groups.
The Dunn Loring dive team finished in a three-way tie for second in Division 3 with a 3-2 record. Dunn Loring won its final regular-season meet, defeating Greenbriar convincingly, 36-18. Fairfax Station won the division with a 4-1 record.
In the win over Greenbriar, Stella Baldeon Masturzo won the freshman girls division with a 72.70 score, Ryan Linegang won freshman boys (55.80), Erin Martonik won junior girls (94.40) and George Miller won intermediate boys (132.10). Four Dunn Loring divers finished second.
With the regular season schedule now complete, many divers from the local teams were scheduled to participate in divisional, then the individual all-star meets over the final two weeks of the 2024 campaign.
The all-star meet is Sunday, July 28 at Hunt Valley pool in Springfield, beginning in the morning.
NOTE: Divers Michayla Eisenberg and Ellie Joyce from Arlington pools had lofty scores in win winning their final regular-season meets of the season in the senior girls division. Eisenberg had a 272.95 point total for Overlee and Joyce 265.20 for Dominion Hills. Both teams won by 42-30 scores in those meets, with Overlee finishing 2-3 in Division I and Dominion Hills going 1-4 in Division II. Joyce and Eisenberg are undefeated in NVSL dual-meet diving competition this season entering the post season. Both are former high-school state champions, Joyce at Washington-Liberty and Eisenberg at private Flint Hill School. Joyce will be a rising sophomore diver at the University of North Carolina this coming winter season. Eisenberg will dive in college this coming season at Virginia Teach.
