CIF-SS Diving: Santa Margarita’s Leavell wins D-1 title

Senior Nicholas Leavell led a powerful performance by Santa Margarita High School at the CIF-Southern Section Diving Championships this week, earning the Division 1 boys’ title.

Leavell’s 599.55 points easily outdistanced the field at the Riverside Aquatic Complex, after he had compiled the leading point total in the preliminaries.

But Leavell was not the only Eagle diver who soared, as his freshman teammates Rhys Davies and Ian Asuncion-Duong placed fourth and seventh, respectively, earning Santa Margarita 53 points in the competition that continued over the weekend with swimming.

In the girls’ Division 1 competition, Santa Margarita juniors Alexandra Barnes and Kayla Haigh placed third and sixth, with Barnes’ 576.55 points less than six behind winner Markie Hopkins of Capistrano Valley.

In Division 4, sophomore 4 Hayden Henderson of Louisville was fourth, while in Division 2 seniors Katie Inkrott and Sarah Soza of St. Lucy’s placed 16th and 17th.

Combining the results of all four girls’ divisions, Barnes and Haigh were fifth and ninth, while Leavell was second among boys’ divers to D-2 champion Andrew Harness of Villa Park.

Mike Nelson is the former editor of The Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News). 

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