Girls swimming: Fairport diver Sophie Meuwissen gets redemption at state championships

Marquel Slaughter, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·4 min read

WEBSTER — Sophie Meuwissen's illustrious high school diving career did not feel complete until she redeemed herself at the state championships.

The Fairport senior did just that.

Meuwissen was the runner-up of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association diving championships Friday at the Webster Aquatic Center. Section V's decorated three-time Class A champion scored 537.55 points in her final contest. In 2021, Meuwissen entered as the top-ranked diver in the state but failed to advance to the finals.

Fairport senior Sophie Meuwissen (third from left) was the runner-up at the NYSPHSAA Diving Championships on Friday at the Webster Aquatic Center.
Fairport senior Sophie Meuwissen (third from left) was the runner-up at the NYSPHSAA Diving Championships on Friday at the Webster Aquatic Center.

"I think I dove very well today," said Meuwissen, who will dive at the University at Buffalo next year. "I'm pretty proud of myself, especially after last year's flop."

Meuwissen had the best finish among Section V individual athletes. Victor-Bloomfield's 200-yard freestyle relay also placed second. Webster featured a third-place relay. Brighton's Mingna Xu had a pair of top-five finishes. And Pittsford coach Marty Keating reached a milestone after guiding his latest crew to states.

Victor-Bloomfield’s Meredith Hogan competes in the 100 Butterfly at the NYS Federation Championships.
Victor-Bloomfield’s Meredith Hogan competes in the 100 Butterfly at the NYS Federation Championships.

Section V's top finishes in each NYSPHSAA event

Diving: Sophie Meuwissen (Fairport) 537.55, 2nd.

200 free relay: Victor-Bloomfield (Eileen Kopp, Meredith Hogan, Mandy Miller and Erin DeHollander) 1:38.41, 2nd.

200 medley relay: Webster (Vivian Nguyen, Marin Bedford, Nakisha Dinh, Claire Gorton) 1:49.95, 3rd.

Brighton swimmers after competing in the NYSPHSAA prelims Friday morning at the Webster Aquatic Center.
Brighton swimmers after competing in the NYSPHSAA prelims Friday morning at the Webster Aquatic Center.

100 fly: Mingna Xu (Brighton) 56.13, 4th.

100 back: Mingna Xu (Brighton) 56.47, 5th.

Brighton’s Mingna Xu competes in the 100 Yard Butterfly at the NYS Federation Championships. She finished 5th with a time of 56.13.
Brighton’s Mingna Xu competes in the 100 Yard Butterfly at the NYS Federation Championships. She finished 5th with a time of 56.13.

400 free relay: Victor-Bloomfield (3:36.23), 5th.

200 IM: Erin DeHollander (Victor-Bloomfield) 2:08.59, 8th.

100 breast: Erin DeHollander (Victor-Bloomfield) 1:07.77, 10th.

200 free: Meredith Hogan (Victor-Bloomfield) 1:55.95, 11th.

50 free: Claire Gorton (Webster) 24.65, 16th.

100 free: Claire Gorton (Webster) 53.96, 17th.

500 free: Iala Cropper (Pittsford) 5:20.57, 18th.

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Redemption for Sophie Meuwissen

Meuwissen has thought of one dive over the last 12 months: the reverse one-and-a-half.

Meuwissen missed that dive during prelims of the 2021 state championships. It was her sole focus this year, and from the sound of the loud applause after her ninth dive, it was apparent Meuwissen nailed it. Staying clam and relaxed was key for Meuwissen to completing the dive Friday.

"I did about as well as I could have. It was amazing. I'm super happy," Meuwissen said. "There was a lot of anticipation over it but I tried to stay as relaxed as I could."

Meuwissen's score may have won her a state title many other years. Jericho junior Rachel Yang blew away the competition, winning the diving title by breaking a 24-year old NYSPHSAA record with 571.15 points.

"She's super nice and congratulatory of all the divers who competed. She's so lovely, super strong and a really amazing diver," Meuwissen said.

After all the section titles and broken records, Meuwissen is now satisfied with the ending of her Fairport diving career.

NYSPHSAA diving champion Rachel Yang takes a selfie with her fellow divers Friday at the Webster Aquatic Center.
NYSPHSAA diving champion Rachel Yang takes a selfie with her fellow divers Friday at the Webster Aquatic Center.

"I'm really happy. I've pretty much done the best I could in Section V. I'm super happy with how I'm leaving," Meuwissen said.

Pittsford senior Kate Cooper joined Meuwissen on the podium with a seventh-place finish (483.95). Cooper placed fourth last year. Brighton senior Cecilia Hanuch (473.70) and Pittsford freshman Jamie Kotalik (468.65) placed 11th and 12th, respectively. Letchworth's Sidney Simmons (318.60) placed 22nd and Brighton senior Tori Kotalik (171.35) finished 37th.

Pittsford coach Marty Keating completed his 50th season coaching. His girls swimming and diving team have won 21 consecutive Section V titles with many podium appearances at the NYSPHSAA Championships Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 at the Webster Aquatic Center.
Pittsford coach Marty Keating completed his 50th season coaching. His girls swimming and diving team have won 21 consecutive Section V titles with many podium appearances at the NYSPHSAA Championships Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 at the Webster Aquatic Center.

Coach Marty Keating concludes 50th season

The NYSPHSAA Championships concluded the 50th season for Pittsford coach Marty Keating.

Keating was pleased to see how his five seniors led the team to a 21st Section V title, and how hard his 10 state-qualifiers worked all season.

"This year's team came from nowhere and really did a heck of a job," Keating said. "We've had some great swims this year. They came together as a group, working as a team and really pushing and encouraging each other. It worked out beautifully."

Pittsford's girls swimming and diving team had qualified for the finals in a number of events at the NYSPHSAA Championships Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 at the Webster Aquatic Center.
Pittsford's girls swimming and diving team had qualified for the finals in a number of events at the NYSPHSAA Championships Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 at the Webster Aquatic Center.

While Cooper and Kotalik led the diving portion Friday, Pittsford's best Saturday performances came via its relays. Freshman Sarah Kunze, senior Iala Cropper, senior Nakai Chinogwenya and junior Isabella Huerta placed eighth in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:39.37). Junior Emily Eichinger and seventh-grader Molly Bennett joined Kunze and Huerta on the 18th-place 200-yard medley relay (1:53.94).

Kunze placed 17th in the 50-yard freestyle (24.69) and 20th in the 100-yard freestyle (55.31). Cropper became ill during the week but Keating was "pleased" with her efforts, placing 18th in the 500-yard freestyle and and 18th in the 200-yard freestyle (1:59.69).

Many NYSPHSAA records are still owned by former Pittsford athletes. Keating brings back a young, experienced team for his 51st season next fall, and is motivated to bring the program back to a level of "greatness".

"Pittsford will be back," Keating said.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Girls swimming and diving: Fairport's Sophie Meuwissen gets redemption