Bridges, McCranie seek repeats at state diving meet

Published 5:28 pm Saturday, January 28, 2023

MOULTRIE – Colquitt County High juniors Bo Bridges and Ruth Anne McCranie will try to become repeat winners at the GHSA state 1-meter diving championships on Tuesday.

The meet will be held at Westminster School.

Colquitt County will have three representatives in the boys Class 6-7A meet: Bridges, Trip Gregory and Tuck Gregory, who were second and third respectively at the state meet as freshmen last season.

Last year marked the second time in three years that Colquitt County boys have claimed the top three spots.

In 2020, Carson Tyler, who is now diving at Indiana University, was first and was followed by Hunter Kebler, now at Auburn, and Timothy Fagan, now at Georgia.

Eight Colquitt County girls qualified for the state meet, but because of a four-member squad limit, McCranie will be joined by Shannon Icard, Jewelia Chambers and Maggie Strange in the 6-7A girls championships.

Icard finished third at the state meet as a sophomore last year.

Jewel Griner, Elizabeth Ann Hobby, Nyla Thompson and Mackenzie Smith qualified for meet, but will not compete.

All 11 Packers and Lady Packers are members of the Moss Farms Diving program, as is Jake Tenney, who will represent Thomasville’s Scholars Academy in the Class 1-5A event.

Colquitt County has won three straight boys championships, with Tyler taking the title in 2020 and in 2021, when he set the state record with a score of 878.95.

Bridges finished second to Tyler in 2021 and won convincingly last year, posting a 725.10.

Trip Gregory had a score of 633.70 to finish second and Tuck was close behind with a 605.15.

McCranie did not compete at the state meet as a freshman in 2021, when she was injured.

Last year, she presented Colquitt County with its first girl state champion since 2016 when Kelliann Howell, who went on to dive at Georgia, took the title.