Valley divers make another splash; Wasilla standout earns state title

ANCHORAGE — For the second straight year, the girls’ one meter state dive title is coming home to the Valley.

Wasilla’s Jayde Chan earned a total score of 419.20 to win the crown during the ASAA/First National Bank State Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday at Bartlett High School in Anchorage.

Chan led a Valley-heavy leader board in the girls’ dive. Her Wasilla teammate Carrie Mayer Mayer came in third with a score of 374.00. Chan had finished second last year to Palmer’s Chloe Hartman. Wasilla took spots one and three, and Palmer claimed the four and five spots with Hartman and Tyler Coffman.

The Bartlett pool calms down from its madhouse atmosphere during the swimming events to become silent as divers flip, twist, turn and spin between the one meter board and the water below. Even though Chan was nervous going into her final dives, she did not show it, keeping a calm and focused demeanor as she stepped onto the board.

“I had a lot of difficulty in the last three dives, so that was a little nerve racking,” Chan said.

Chan was excited to win her first state title, but swim and dive don’t carry the same types of Valley rivalries that traditional team sports like football or basketball do. In between dives, athletes from each school were toweling off and joking around.

“It wasn’t really a rivalry, it was just kind of go out there and do your best,” Chan said.

Chan had subdued some of her emotions after winning the state title, but had no problem exclaiming her enthusiasm for her teammate.

“She’s amazing! She’s the best. She did really good. I’m very proud of her. All of her dives were just amazing, her entries were so pretty and all of her twisters, I love watching her twisters,” Chan said of Mayer.

Hartman missed out on her bid to repeat as state champion, but the senior is not done diving. She will continue her career at Biola University in California next fall.

“She just got a lot better this year she’s really improved,” Hartman said of Chan.

Hartman offered her explanation for a rise in Valley diving dominance.

“I think it’s kind of based off of all the gymnasts and cheerleaders coming and finding that diving is an easy transition, and they see that we’re doing good so they’re like wow, I should try diving,” Hartman said.

Colony’s Eli Krozel took sixth in the boy’s one meter dive. Kade Reynolds of Wasilla took seventh.

In the swimming events, a pair of Palmer relay teams took the podium on Saturday. The 200-yard medley relay team of Lindsay Musgrave, Ashtyn Petersen, Gretchen Snelders and Ellyse Russell took third with a time of 1:53.20. The 200 freestyle relay team of Petersen, Maria Beck, Russell and Snelders also took third with a time of 1:40.92, but were just one one-hundredth of a second off of the second place time.

Russell and Snelders led Palmer in the freestyle events. Russell took second in the 200 free with a time of 1:59.25, and took sixth in the 100 free. Snelders took fifth in the 100 free and fourth in the 50 free with a time of 24.88.

Senior Alexis Mattson held things down for the Colony Knights.

“Alexis Mattson, she’s a phenomenal swimmer, phenomenal young lady. She’s competed in state four years in a row and this is her last year competing and she’s made it in both of her events,” Colony head coach Patrick Penoyar said.

Mattson took eigth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:17.72. Mattson had a long break in between her second event, the 100 breaststroke. Knowing this could potentially be her last competitive event in the pool after eight years of hard work, Mattson’s veins were coursing with adrenaline.

“It is high, and the energy in this building is awesome, so everyone’s super pumped. I’m excited,” Mattson said in between events.

Mattson has been around long enough to know her competitors closely and see new ones spring up. Mattson kept a clear head on her way to the starting blocks focusing on the task at hand.

‘“It’s my pool. It’s my time. That’s my lane, and that’s all I can control so you’ve just got to do what you’ve been training to do for basically half my life,” Mattson said.

Mattson took fifth place in the 100 Backstroke with a time of 1:08.78.

Camren Hancock of Wasilla took fifth in the 50 free with a time of 22.36. The Palmer girls placed fourth in the team standings.