Moss Farms Diving dominant in YMCA Nationals
Published 2:54 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
MOULTRIE — Moss Farms Diving made a productive visit to Orlando last weekend, dominating the 2022 YMCA National Championships.
The Diving Tigers won the overall team championship with 873 points, 216 more than the second-place Schroeder Diving Team of Brown Deer, Wisconsin, scored.
The Moss Farms boys led the way with 455 points, 246 more than Marlins Diving Club of Greenwich, Connecticut, produced.
The Moss Farms girls were second.
The Diving Tigers brought back 35 medals, including 15 gold, 16 silver and four bronze.
The YMCA National Championships were held Thursday though Sunday at the Rosen Aquatic Center and also included teams from Whirlwind Diving of New Canaan, Connecticut; YMCA Westside Silver Fins of Goodyear, Arizona; High Dive Champions of Purchase, N.Y.; and the Woodlands (Texas) YMCA.
The meet helped coach John Fox’s get his young athletes prepared for USA Diving’s Region 3 Championships.
The region meet will be held at the Moose Moss Aquatic Center May 6-8.
USA Diving’s 12 region championship meets mark the first steps toward the Junior National Championships that will be held July 27-Aug. 3.
Bo Bridges, Tuck Gregory and ElliReese Niday each took gold medals on both springboards and on platform in Orlando.
Bridges competed in the boys 16-21 age group; Gregory, in 14-15 boys; and Niday, who was recently named to USA Diving’s High Performance Squad, in 11-and-under girls.
Beck Gregory, in 11-and-under boys, and Austin Taylor, in 12-13 girls, each brought home two gold and one silver medal.
Kendall Deloach, in 12-13 girls, and Selah Huante, in 11-and-under boys, earned one gold and two silver medals.
Amelia Gregory, in 11-and-under girls, and Gibson Stuckey, in 14-15 boys, won three silver medals each.
Shannon Icard, in 16-21 girls, and Charles Stevens in 12-13 boys, won a silver and a bronze.
Luke Hernandez, in 16-21 boys, and Maggie Stringe in 14-15 girls, each won a silver medal
Trip Gregory, in 16-21 boys, and Ruby DeMott, in 11-and-under girls, each won a bronze medal.
Also competing for Moss Farms in the YMCA Nationals were Christopher Griffin, Ava Harden, Jewel Hart, Elizabeth Hobby, Bethany Holman, Mackenzie Smith and Landon Thomas.
The Diving Tigers headed to Orlando coming off an outstanding performance in the Carolina BIG DIVE, held March 24-27 in Huntersville, N.C., where 15 teams took part.
Moss Farms was first overall in that meet as well, with the boys placing first and the girls second.
Five Moss Farms boys placed in the top 10: Tuck Gregory, first, 55 points; Gibson Stuck and Beck Gregory, tied for fourth, 42 points; Luke Hernandez, sixth, 39 points; and Selah Huante, seventh, 37 points.
Four girls were in the top 10, including ElliReese Niday, who was second with 72.50 points; Amelia Gregory, sixth, 39 points; Shannon Icard, seventh, 38 points; and Ruth Anne McCranie, tied for ninth with 35 points.