Fox Chapel’s Cagley signs on to dive at Duke

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 14, 2018 | 8:06 PM

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Jonah Cagley, a senior on the Fox Chapel diving team, made a verbal commitment this past summer to Duke and signed a national letter of intent during the early signing period.

He knew that it was the right choice.

“As soon as I stepped on campus, I knew Duke was it for me,” Cagley said. “They have great academics and an excellent diving program.”

Nunzio Esposto, the Duke diving coach, is a 1987 graduate of Butler.

He has also coached at the Olympic level and has coached the USA Diving national team.

Cagley also considered Southern Cal, Virginia and Northwestern. He plans to major in pre-med.

He ended up as a diver in a roundabout way.

“I started as a swimmer because all my siblings swam, but I discovered that it wasn’t for me,” he said. “I gave up swimming after elementary school and began taking gymnastics. After a while, I decided to take a shot at diving. A lot of gymnastics students seem to make that move.”

Success came quickly for Cagley under the tutelage of FC diving coach Vernon Yenick. As a freshman, he took second at the WPIAL championships and finished first in both 2017 and ‘18.

After finishing 10th at PIAAs in 2017, he returned to claim the bronze medal in 2018.

“I’m hoping to have a successful senior year and win the WPIAL and PIAA,” he said. “I will work hard towards those goals.”

He said he practices approximately 300 days a year. Cagley also dives for Pittsburgh Diving Club.

“It’s a year-round thing with me,” he said. “I’m diving five or six days a week. When the high school season ends, I go right to work with the club team. This season, I’ll be focusing on cleaning up my dives.”

He feels he can contribute as a freshman at Duke.

“I hope to be a contributor,” Cagley said. “I will train and work as hard as I can.”

Any aspirations of being a part of the U.S. Olympic team are in the background right now.

“It’s not an immediate goal for me right now,” he said. “I know diving isn’t forever. I’ll concentrate on academics and, further down the road, we’ll see what the future holds as far as my diving.”

Marty Stewart is a freelance writer.

Tags: Fox Chapel