PIAA Boys Swimming: Clark’s composed close turns into diving medal

LEWISBURG — Kieran Clark didn’t need to wait for the video board at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium to show the final scores Wednesday. By the time he got out of the pool following his 11th and final dive, the vigorous high five he got from coach Jim Rightley told him all he needed to know.

The Penncrest senior used a torrid final three dives to rocket up from 12th place after semifinals to eighth, nabbing a medal at the PIAA Class 3A championships.

“I’m just here to have fun,” Clark said. “I’m not here to win or anything. I just came here to have fun, do what I do and the outcome is good.”

Clark’s goals on the boards have always been modest. He started competing as a junior, translating his gymnastics background into high school diving. Last year, he finished 11th in his states debut.

That was the target this year, bettering his placement and score (408.15 points). He ended up three places higher in 409.50, with a piece of hardware to take home.

He also had constant updates from Rightley on the deck.

“He always does that,” Clark said. “I’m like, ‘Jim, I don’t really care that much,’ but he’s all into it.”

Clark had 268.25 points after eight rounds. But he moved up to ninth with 38 points in the ninth round, a forward twist. He exceeded 50 points on each of his last two dives, an inward one-and-a-half and a back somersault with 2.5 twists.

The plan was to get Clark’s less certain dives out of the way early and leave those with higher degrees of difficulty for the end. (Many divers, trying to ensure they progress, will do the opposite and front-load.)

When Clark hit the ones he had waiting in his pocket, he rocketed up the standings.

“I was biting my nails the whole time,” Rightley said. “But he kept getting better as the meet went on. … He held on, got stronger as the day went on and finished big.”

As for Clark, the final place was less about the medal and more about the process, which has guided him throughout his condensed ascent.

“I go in every day, work hard,” he said, “and hard works pays off.”

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Ridley’s Alex Boeckx was the only Delco swimming medalist on Day 1, taking fifth in the 200 individual medley. He was the second seed in the morning in 1:53.35, 2.5 seconds faster than at the District 1 championships. But he recognized that there was meat left on the bone.

“I was a little off this morning, had a decent time, made my way into the A finals,” Boeckx said. “I just came in knowing I had to give it all. I was given an outside lane, so I just had to prove something, and I had to leave it all out there for my last meet.”

He proved it in finals with a time of 1:51.85. It’s his third state medal after two last season, including a seventh-place IM finish.

Radnor’s 200 medley relay also made a final, dropping 1.44 seconds to go from 28th to 15th in prelims. It trimmed another half-second and jumped two spots in the final, the team of Jack Undercofler, Jack Lindgren, Rhett Cosgrove and Chase Bentley clocking in at 1:36.28.

Matthew Gray of Marple Newtown and Steven Woolery of Penncrest finished 23rd in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly, respectively.