Ryle’s Landon Isler and Cooper’s Peytton Moore had one thought Thursday — win a KHSAA state 1-meter diving title in their final high school meet.
Isler and Moore finished what they started – on their final dive at the University of Kentucky’s Lancaster Aquatic Center.
Moore’s win was the closest – a 45-hundredth of a point over 2023 champion Reagan Patterson (537.70-537.25) of Madison Southern. Isler turned in a 71.30-point dive and took his title over Covington Catholic’s Jake Larkin, 554.15-546.15.
“Landon did amazing, too,” Moore said. “I think he deserved that.”
What was more: Moore and Isler became the latest Northern Kentucky duo in seven years to sweep the diving gold medals. Moore and St. Henry’s Aidan Stigall did it in 2021, Scott’s Lyndsey Fox and Holy Cross’ Gus Staubitz did it in 2017, and Fox and Highlands’ Finn Murphy won in 2018.
To Cooper diving coach Kristina Jenny, what Moore, Isler and the others have done began with Becky Ruehl, who won high school titles from 1991-1995 at Villa Madonna and ultimately finished fourth in the 10-meter platform at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
“It started with Becky Ruehl,” Jenny said. “ … We’ve always had a strong region here.”
Campbell County’s Grace Hedger placed fifth with 416.90 points, and Cooper’s Chris Nowak was eighth with 380.55.
A three-timer
Moore, headed for New Mexico State University, won her third state title in four years. What bugged her for most of a year, however, was last year’s two-tenths of a point loss to Patterson.
“I was working for it,” Moore said. “I worked for it all year, I wanted it bad. It’s crazy – everyone’s so good.”
Moore led Patterson all night – a 17-point advantage after the first five dives – but she saw Patterson close to within seven points after eight. Moore led by a little more than 17 points with one dive to go.
After Patterson’s Forward 2 ½ Somersault Tuck gave her 61.20 points, Moore needed at least 43.80 points.
“I was trusting my training,” Moore said.
Jenny wasn’t worried.
“She’s so calm and collected,” Jenny said. “I knew she would pull it out, but you never know what’s going to happen. That’s what makes diving exciting.”
Moore’s winning dive: a Forward 1 ½ with two twists. The score: 44.20 points – and the title.
“That was my first time ever competing (with) it,” Moore said. “My senior year, last dive meet. It feels good.”
A ‘massive’ win
Isler’s smile seemed as wide as the half-mile from the pool to Kroger Field.
What Isler loved almost as much – winning at UK, which didn’t offer him a scholarship, which was his dream school. (LSU and Cincinnati have shown some interest.) He didn’t feel slighted Thursday.
“It’s the biggest thing in the world,” Isler said. “It is massive. Working for four years and just kind of being the underdog, it’s kind of funny ‘cause it just comes down to a 70-point dive that I never hit 70 on. It just all comes to fruition.”
Ryle coach Jeff Floyd was almost as ecstatic as Isler.
“It was beyond amazing,” Floyd said. “His best score ever on that dive was 54.25 before that one … We came this close to pulling that dive out this week. Landon made the decision.”
Isler’s final high school meet was memorable for more reasons than the win: he became the second Raider to take state in the water after 2007 alumnus and three-time NCAA champion (200-meter backstroke Arizona) and Indiana University assistant coach Cory Chitwood; he recorded personal bests in six of his 11 dives; and he won with an Inward 2 1/2 Somersault Tuck, a 3.1 degree of difficulty dive he’d only tried three other times.
Larkin, who set a Region 7 record with 607.75 points, scored more than 60 points on two of Thursday’s dives, a Forward 1 ½ somersault with two twists, and an Inward 2 ½ Tuck.
And Isler? Just one 60-plus dive, a Forward 2 1/2 Somersault Pike for 65 points.
Larkin’s penultimate dive, a Forward 3 ½ Somersault Tuck, was good for 69 points; Isler countered with a Reverse 2 ½ Somersault Tuck that netted him only 48 points.
The score with one dive to go: Larkin, 515.10-482.85.
After earning only 31.05 on his last dive, a 1 ½ Somersault Pike, Larkin walked about 20 yards from the board – and watched Isler try a dive on which he’d never scored more than 54.25.
“I was, like, it’s either I rip it for my last meet ever in high school, or it was fun while we tried,” Isler said.
Isler was nervous about the dive; he had trained all week on the Inward 2 1/2 Somersault Tuck, and he didn’t achieve anything approaching 90-degree verticality until Wednesday’s practice.
Then came the dive of which he was scared.
“I went in that water, and it was, like, ‘That was really good’,” Isler said. “But I didn’t think it was a 70-point dive … it was surreal.”
Lexington Catholic’s Gerald Leslie finished third with 494.45 points. Bryan Station’s Tyler Bobadilla was fourth with 4:84.30, and 2023 champion Michael Buchart of Lexington Catholic was fifth with 478.15.
Baker grateful
St Henry junior Sam Baker finished seventh with 408.65 points. He was perhaps the most grateful diver in the building because of what happened Jan. 2, 2023 at a friend’s farm in Florida.
“I got clotheslined by barbed wire while riding an ATV,” Baker said.
You can see the scar at the base of Baker’s neck.
“Nurses and doctors were nervous that it cut through my tracheal artery, and I would have bled out,” Baker said.
Baker didn’t see the barbed wire until it was too late.
“It was super-sunny in the morning, and the way the sun reflected off silver wiring, neither me nor my friend could see that wiring,” Baker said.
Baker said finishing seventh was amazing.
“I was seeded ninth,” he said. “My low goal coming in – top 10; high goal, top 6. Realistically, I thought I’d get seventh or eighth.”
Boys swimming preliminaries begin at 10 a.m. Friday, and the finals start at 6 p.m.
For complete results, visit khsaa.org (bit.ly/49m3Xqi)