14 Diving Tigers heading to Nationals
Jun. 24—MOULTRIE, Ga. — Fourteen Moss Farms divers will make the 2,300-mile trip to southern California next month to compete in USA Diving's Junior National Championships.
The championships will run July 23-Aug. 1 at the Marguerite Aquatics Complex in Mission Viejo, Calif., outside Los Angeles.
Three Diving Tigers — ElliReese Niday, Beck Gregory and Ruth Anne McCranie — are prequalified through to the semifinals.
The other 11 qualifying Diving Tigers earned the trip to California though their performances at the June 16-18 Zone Championships in Orlando.
The top-10 divers in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events and the top-seven on platform punched tickets to Nationals.
Niday will be seeking her second-straight Junior Nationals sweep at 11-and-under girls and her third straight gold medal on platform.
She won on both springboards and on platform in Midland, Texas, last year.
In Indianapolis as a 9-year-old in 2021, she won on platform and took bronze on 1-meter.
Niday tuned up for Junior Nationals by winning on all three boards at the Zone Championships.
Gregory, who will compete in 12-13 boys age group, won his first junior national championship when he earned a gold medal on platform last year. He also took bronze medals on the two springboards.
He also earned a bronze medal on platform in Indianapolis in 2021.
Gregory finished second on platform, third on 3-meter and fourth on 1-meter at Zones.
Also seeking a repeat medal-winning performance will be Selah Huante, who earned a bronze medal on platform last year in 11-and-under boys. He will be diving in 12-13 boys on all three boards this year.
Also representing Moss Farms in the 11-and-under girls events will be Amelia Gregory and Ruby DeMott.
Amelia Gregory was second on all three boards at Zones.
Austin Leigh Taylor will compete at Mission Viejo on all three boards. She took the gold medal on platform at the Zone Championships.
Two other Diving Tigers will join Huante and Beck Gregory in competing in 12-13 boys at Nationals.
Landon Thomas will dive on both springboards and S.J. Weeks will compete on 1-meter.
Kendall DeLoach's 10th-place finish on 3-meter in 14-15 girls at Zones earned her a trip to Nationals.
In 14-15 boys, Moss Farms will be represented at Nationals by Zech Ledl, who will dive 3-meter and platform, and Jud Taylor, who will compete on platform.
In 16-18 boys, Bo Bridges will dive on all three boards and Trip Gregory will compete on platform.
Bridges turned in silver-medal performances on both 3-meter and platform at the Zone Championships.
Trip Gregory was fifth on platform at Zones.
McCranie finished second on 1-meter and eighth on 3-meter at Zones and will compete in the semifinals in those two events at Mission Viejo.
