Divers Dominate at State Competition
Osero dives to secure her fourth state title.
November 24, 2019
Neenah Divers dominated the podium the state competition on Saturday, claiming three of the top 10 spots, competitor Bailey Schroeder said.
A total of three Neenah Divers competed. Senior Av Osero placed first, junior Bailey Schroeder third, and sophomore Abbigail Priestley 10th. Osero became the second D1 diver to ever claim four-consecutive state championships.
The meet consists of three rounds, 24 competitors and 11 total dives. After five dives, four girls are cut, and after eight dives four more girls are cut. The top 16 divers earn points for their team. Neenah’s three divers lead the pack, earning an impressive 43 points, the WIAA results verify.
All three divers credit their success to long-time coach Tim Foulks, whom the divers affectionately call “Coachie.” Highly respected throughout the state, Foulks is the Michael Phelps of the diving coaching world. In the past 10 years, seven of the state champions have been from Neenah, WIAA archives reported. Schroeder and Priestley hope to continue the legacy in upcoming years.
According to the WIAA psych sheet, heading into the meet Osero was seeded first, Priestley sixth, and Schroeder seventh. Neenah divers went to the meet already with targets on their backs, but all girls rely on their meet strategy.
When deciding on the order of dives for a meet, Neenah’s divers take an approach contrary to most: “Some girls do hard dives first to make cuts, but Coachie has us do easy dives first so we can nail them. Every dive the difficulty level goes up,” Schroeder said.
Osero, Schroder and Priestley place an emphasis on technique during their practices. Mastering basic dives helps them in advancing on to more difficult dives and being successful with those as well, Schroeder said. This strategy contributes to Foulks’ divers’ continued success.
The WIAA results confirmed Neenah’s overall score of 82 points, which the divers contributed 43. The state team proudly finished above both Appleton North and Bay Port, who both beat Neenah at sectionals. The swim and dive team celebrated the success, specifically recognizing Osero’s achievements Monday afternoon.
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