Seneca Valley divers compete at PIAA championships

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | 4:26 PM

LEWISBURG — Seneca Valley was well represented at the PIAA Class 3A boys diving championships Wednesday at Bucknell.

The Raiders earned four of the five qualifying berths from the WPIAL championships Feb. 26 at North Allegheny.

WPIAL silver medalist Isaiah Clerkley, a sophomore, led Seneca Valley and the WPIAL contingent with a 15th-place finish with a total of 346.85 points.

Junior Jeremiah Laslavic finished one spot behind Clerkley in 16th (3:34.40).

The field of 24 divers dove five times in the first round, with the top 20 advancing to Round 2.

The top 16 finishers after the semifinals (round 8) moved on to the three-dive finals.

Seneca Valley senior Sam Skeen dove in the semifinals and finished 18th (237.20) while junior Sam Hersick ended in 21st (132.35).

“It was nice that they were all here supporting each other,” Seneca Valley diving coach Nancy Laslavic said.

“It didn’t quite work out how we thought. But we did get two in the top 16, and I am proud of them for that. They were all here for the first time. Jeremiah could’ve been at states last year, but because of covid, they only took the (WPIAL champion). Three of them will have a chance to get back here next year.”

WPIAL champion Will Schenk, a junior from North Allegheny, was hoping to continue his successful postseason at the state championships but injuries to both feet during a practice session shortly after WPIALs forced him to pull out of the PIAA competition.

That left an opening for Fox Chapel freshman Jackson Hagler, who finished sixth at WPIALs. The top five from WPIALs initially earned trip to states.

Hagler ended up just 20 points away from fifth at WPIALs Feb. 26.

With new life, he made his PIAA debut and took 19th overall (235.95).

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Seneca Valley