Three divers win first Junior National Champion titles

ElliReese Niday of Moss Farms Diving won her third career junior national title, and three other divers won their first titles Tuesday at the 2022 USA Diving Junior National Championships at COM Aquatics in Midland, Texas.

Niday won the 11-and-under girls’ 3-meter title, and Gage Sprintz (Mesa Aquatics Diving) won the 12-13 boys’ 3-meter title. Callie Fox of Mission Viejo won the 12-13 girls’ platform title, and Owen Stebbins of Los Angeles Dive Club won the 11-and-under boys’ 1-meter title.

Niday won her third career junior national title and her first 3-meter title after placing second in 2021. Niday scored 270.10 points to win in dominating fashion. Hannah McLaughlin of the Woodlands Diving Academy scored 236.40 points for silver, beating Fort Lauderdale Dive Team’s Ariel Hall, who finished with 215.50 points for bronze. Niday, McLaughlin and Hall also went 1-2-3 in Monday’s platform competition.

Sprintz won his first junior national title with 363.05 points in the boys’ 12-13 3-meter contest. Cristiano Garcia of Alexandria Dive Club scored 358.50 points for silver, and Leyton Dean of Ripfest scored 358.45 points for the bronze.

Fox won her first junior national title with 262.50 points in the 12-13 girls’ platform event. Christina Xu of Rose Bowl Aquatics scored 251.30 points for silver, and Reagan Leckner of Carolina Diving Academy scored 232.25 points for bronze

Stebbins scored 211.20 points in the 11-and-under boys’ 1-meter event to win his first junior national title. Triad Diving Academy’s Tanner Tessier took silver with 209.60 points, and Beck Gregory of Moss Farms Diving finished third at 209.30 points after winning the platform title on Monday.

Sixteen more junior national titles are still to be awarded throughout the 2022 Junior National Championships. Wednesday’s competition features the 11-and-under boys on 3-meter, the 11-and-under girls on 1-meter, the 12-13 girls on 1-meter and the 12-13 boys on platform.