Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Ligonier Valley’s Nick Roddy, Latrobe’s Hannah Polosky

By: Andrew John
Saturday, January 29, 2022 | 7:26 PM

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Nick Roddy

School: Ligonier Valley

Sport: Swimming and Diving

Year: Senior

Claim to fame: Roddy finished with a score of 455.60 to win the 1-meter diving competition at the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association championships Friday at Derry. Roddy, who won his second county diving title, finished more than 130 points higher than runner-up Jake Houser of Derry, who totaled 321.85.

“It’s definitely exciting and reassuring because my school doesn’t have a diving board and I can only compete at away meets. I haven’t had many opportunities to compete. I get super nervous before I compete and it’s very reassuring. I owe it to my coach, teammates and my family. My family helps me relax and not take it too personally,” Roddy said.

What are your college plans for next year?

It’s still up in the air. I plan to dive in college.

How did this year’s experience at WCCAs compare to when you won as a sophomore?

I went in with more confidence. I wasn’t as nervous as I was when I competed the first time. I felt more prepared since I’ve been diving for a longer time and I’ve been to counties before.

What goes through your mind when you’re about to attempt a dive?

I think about the dive before I get on the board, and I try to visualize it. When I get on the board, I take a deep breath, forget about the dive and I go. If I think about it too much, that’s where I tend to screw it up.

What’s your mindset heading into WPIALs?

I don’t know what to expect since my school changed districts. I’m going to rely on my coach to keep me in line since I tend to let my nerves get the best of me. I’m going to do what I do best.

What are your favorite things to do during your free time?

I love listening to music, driving, hanging out with friends and I like to drink chocolate milk. I like stuff you can dance to, like pop music. Whenever I’m on the pool deck, I’m always dancing to help me get the nerves out.

Hannah Polosky

School: Latrobe

Sport: Swimming and Diving

Year: Junior

Claim to fame: Polosky claimed the girls 1-meter diving title with a score of 446.60 at the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association championships Friday at Derry. Polosky, who placed fifth last year at WPIALs and qualified for the PIAA meet, finished well ahead of runner-up Kayce Tomasic of Hempfield, who totaled 351.80.

“I thought I did pretty well. There’s room for improvement, but for it being my first counties, I thought I did a pretty good job,” Polosky said.

What does it mean to win your first WCCA diving title?

It was really important since I’ve been diving for a year now. It was really cool and interesting to see myself do that.

What made you get into diving?

I was a gymnast before, and I got injured really badly. I wanted to do something with flips. I saw my school had a diving program, and I thought I’d try it out. I’ve loved it ever since.

What’s your mindset heading into WPIALs?

I need to keep training harder, and there’s always room for improvement. I want to place better than last year and hopefully in the top three.

What goes through your mind when you’re about to attempt a dive?

I mainly go over what exactly I need to do or what corrections my coach gave me. I kind of visualize myself doing the dive perfectly so I know what I need to do to hit the dive.

What’s your favorite part about diving?

I really love my teammates. They make it really fun. We always cheer each other on at meets. The relationships that we’ve built have honestly been the best part.