Local divers eager to make a splash

WASILLA — Wasilla’s Mariah Schachle and Colony’s Connor Eshelman ended their day last Saturday at the top of the podium. But each had to dive into a deep pool of competition in order to get there.

Schachle and Eshelman both used come-from-behind efforts to win a diving title during the Region III Championships at Kodiak High School last weekend. Now, the duo is among five Valley divers set to compete in the ASAA/First National Bank State Swimming and Diving Championships, which starts today at 1 p.m. at the Bartlett Pool in Anchorage.

“It was tough competition,” said Larry Smith, a longtime local diving coach who has mentored Schachle and Eshleman throughout their prep careers.

Schachle, the 2009 Region III runner-up and a champ at the Valley Invitational and Bartlett/Chugiak Invitational meets during the regular season, trailed the top diver by as many as 20 points during the preliminary round, Smith said. Eshleman was down by at least six during the first round.

Both began their comebacks during the semifinals.

“(Mariah) barely had a quarter-point lead after the semis. The last three dives made it for her,” Smith said. “Basically, for Connor it was the same way. He was down in the preliminaries, and by the end of the semis, he was in a two-point lead.”

Both emerged as champions during the final stretch of the events. Schachle earned 370.60 total points, placing her about 11 points ahead of Kodiak’s Sophie Hogen. Eshleman earned a five-point win over Homer’s Garrett Hall.

“They showed they were champions by coming back,” Smith said.

After finishing second to former teammate Rachel Kennedy in the 2009 1-meter dive final, Schachle said she was confident about her chances this season.

“I really had to work for it. There are a lot of divers out there,” Schachle said before her team’s practice on Wednesday. “I’m really proud and happy to get first.”

With her 370 points from the region meet, Schachle is seeded fourth in the state meet.

Schachle is a veteran of the state meet, but Eshleman earned his first trip to the championships. Last year, the Colony diver finished sixth in the region meet.

“He just missed state last year, and he worked hard, hard, hard,” Smith said, “particularly on the reverses. The reverse dives he really got much better. He increased his degree of difficulty on some of his dives. He’s really worked hard on his entries and his finish — the way you look.”

Eshleman is seeded fifth in the state meet.

Wasilla senior Hillary Graham will join Schachle in the state meet, and is seeded 12th in the girls’ 1-meter dive. Palmer’s Ry Obeso and Joe Provo also qualified, and are seeded 11th and 13th respectively.

The last Valley athlete to win a state diving title was Palmer’s Richelle Knapp in 2000.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com. Follow him at Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.