OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms
With her fellow competitors looking on, Fredonia’s Elizabeth Pucci-Schaefer shows off her winning form on Friday at the New York State and Federation diving championships at Webster Aquatic Center.
WEBSTER — Ever since her first trip to states in seventh grade, Fredonia diver Elizabeth Pucci-Schaefer wanted to end her night on the top of the podium.
Year after year she climbed her way up it, eventually reaching third place in her junior year, giving her just one more shot to achieve that goal.
Finishing behind a pair of seniors a year ago, Pucci-Schaefer showed that she was the new leader on Friday night at the Webster Aquatic Center by taking an early lead and dominating her way to the top of the podium with a score of 503.50 to claim the New York State and Federation 1-meter girls diving titles.
“I’m very relieved,” she said about winning the state championship. “It took me five tries, but I finally did it. We’re going to have pizza and wings with my family so I just can’t wait. … I just feel awesome.”
With her commitment already signed to Penn State in the BIG10, Pucci-Schaefer could have easily mailed it in the rest of the season, but that’s not the kind of competitor she is. The Fredonia senior continued to go out and execute her extremely difficult diving program and it made her score the only one in the 500s and put her nearly 10 points clear of Manhasset’s Victoria Wang in second-place with 493.60.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms
Fredonia’s Leah Marsh, left, shares an embrace with teammate and first-place finisher Elizabeth Pucci-Schaefer at the New York State and Federation diving championships at Webster Aquatic Center on Friday.
“I think the college search was a little bit of a distraction,” Fredonia diving coach John Crawford stated. “I thought they were more of a distraction right around the time of the signing in terms of what I witnessed in practice, but today she was back on her game. She was very meticulous in what she did.”
While it was clear Pucci-Schaefer’s goal was to crush the competition, she went through and congratulated all 19 girls behind her before ascending to her top spot in the state.
Along the way some of those hugs were more memorable than others and those were with her fellow Section VI divers, including Fredonia teammate Leah Marsh and Frewsburg’s Elayna Pitts taking 16th and 13th place respectively.
“The first year I came it was a bunch of seniors and juniors,” Pucci-Schaefer said about her experience. “This year we had eight girls come and we’re all really good friends. Leah and I are best friends. I dragged her into this sport and becoming a state finalist is awesome for her.”
After missing first place last year, both Marsh and Pitts soared up the leaderboard making it into the final round of dives.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian
Leah Marsh performs one of her dives on her way to a 16th-place finish.
In her junior year, Marsh finished 33rd with only 159.10 points, but in her final shot she soared up to 16th with an 11-dive score of 408.00 points to take home a state medal.
“I’m just thankful,” Marsh said about her performance. “I’ve struggled I will say over the past few years and to get to this point in my senior year I’m just so thankful. The last ride.”
The jump Pitts made was just as remarkable, going from 27th with a score of 184.00 to 13th with an 11-dive score of 423.15.
“What you see on the iceberg above water is not anywhere near close to the mass body that it is,” Crawford stated. “What people don’t realize is the amount of work they put into it, because that’s under the surface. It may be kind of a strange analogy, but I’m more interested and satisfied with what they do in practice. Then what they go do in a meet is based on how much work they put into practice. Leah didn’t even make the cuts the last two years and look where she is this year. … I’m very proud to be associated with them.”
It didn’t take very long for Pucci-Schaefer to establish herself atop the leaderboard, and when she did it looked like an impossible deficit to erase for the challengers. After the first round of cuts, Pucci-Schaefer led by five points and then with another three dives she somehow built that lead into a 23.25 lead over Wang.
“Today, I tried not to look at the scoreboard,” Pucci-Schaefer said about focusing on her dives. “I usually don’t and I don’t like to watch other people dive in the middle of a meet because watching other people dive stresses me out. I just tried to keep to myself, think about each dive specifically. Once one dive was over I went to the next one. Just keep moving forward definitely. I was actually more nervous for Leah because she’s worked so hard and I really wanted her to make it.”
Prior to the meet, Pucci-Schaefer referenced Wang as one of the top contenders for the title and in the final round the Manhasset junior did her best to close the gap, but it was just too much. Wang finished with three flawless dives to bring her score to 493.60 which was more than 20 points ahead of Monroe-Woodbury’s Molly Connolly in third at 472.75, but it was still not enough to catch Pucci-Schaefer.
“I’ve been here five times, so it’s just nice to finally have this under my belt,” Pucci-Schaefer stated. “I’ve been pretty close to it the past couple of years, but finally getting that little state champion sign, I’ve wanted that since seventh grade so I finally got it.”
Pucci-Schaefer’s triumph is the third time a Fredonia diver has ascended to the top of the podium and the first since Sarah Schuster went back-to-back in her sophomore year in 1978.
“Sarah Schuster, I coached her in ’77-’78,” Crawford stated. “It’s just as satisfying this time around. It’s been a pleasure. Both of them are extremely intelligent. … Sarah was incredibly intelligent and incredibly athletic and had a work ethic that was amazing. Elizabeth has the same thing — intelligent, work ethic — and as a result this is why she got to the top like Sarah did.”
Rounding out the top five were Maine-Endwell’s Madison Morris at 458.30 and Goshen’s Kaylee Croughan with 456.85. Also taking home medals from Section VI wereTorianne Franke of Niagara Falls in 17th with 402.70 and Ainslee Graham of Clarence in 19th with 392.35.
“Five of the top 20 were a part of our diving camp,” Crawford stated. “I’m very pleased for all these other kids. Elayna Pitts, what a move she made from last year. Ainslee Graham from Clarence coming in and Tori Franke from Niagara Falls, all these people participated either in our club or our camp. As I’ve said before, I’ve been privileged and blessed.”