As the defending champion who also spends "hours and hours every day" training in his future college facility, New Albany senior Hamish Patel treated the Division I district diving meet last Tuesday at Ohio State like just another day at the office.
Maybe that is why Patel, an OSU signee, enters the state meet Tuesday at Branin Natatorium in Canton as the top seed. He scored a personal-best 658.35 points to win his third district title in a row, 83 points ahead of runner-up Andrew Keir from Westerville South, but Patel admitted he might be more nervous for his final high school meet.
Now a four-time state qualifier, Patel was runner-up to Solon's Dominic Roberto last season .
"You could say I'm a little bit stressed, but I try not to think too much about it," Patel said. "Have fun (the) last go-round. That's what I want."
Roberto, the three-time defending champion, and Patel will be roommates at OSU in the fall.
Roberto defeated Patel by 47.95 points (600.4-552.45) last year.
Central Ohio competitors comprise a quarter of the 32-diver field.
The other area qualifiers are Dublin Jerome's Mason Sargel, Watkins Memorial's Brezlin Harris, Dublin Coffman's Ben Edwardson, Gahanna Lincoln's Dylan Sponseller, Mount Vernon's Collin McFarlane and Whetstone's Mac Plank.
Edwardson and Sargel were 16th and 17th, respectively, last year.
The other five are making their first state appearances.
The boys competition is Tuesday, followed by the girls Wednesday.
Division II competes first both days, beginning at 9 a.m., followed by Division I in the afternoon.
With her third consecutive district championship and second in a row in Division I under her belt, Marysville senior Sophia Stamm will try to cap her high school career with her first state title. The Akron signee finished 0.9 of a point behind Cincinnati Walnut Hills' Elleka Boeres last year .
Stamm scored 515.8 at district, 34.25 ahead of runner-up Sofia Frangos from Pickerington North, and is the top seed at state.
State qualifiers: See which central Ohio swimmers, divers will compete in Canton
Jen White, who coaches five of central Ohio's eight girls state qualifiers, including Stamm, acknowledged Stamm is regarded as the favorite.
"(Opponents are) definitely looking at her, but one nice thing is the seniors have committed and the pressure is off," White said. "There's more pressure (during) junior or even sophomore year. The seniors are more relaxed."
Olentangy Orange's Augusta Ness, a Virginia Tech signee and three-time state qualifier, was third at district. Rounding out the area competitors are Olentangy's Evelyn Fitz, Olentangy Liberty's Kylie Moreland, Big Walnut's Sarah White and the Upper Arlington duo of Madison Vermilion and Mira Weigman.
Ness, Moreland and Frangos were 10th, 19th and 23rd, respectively, last year. The others are making their state debuts.
Columbus Academy junior and repeat district champion Elle Vahedian leads a familiar contingent to the Division II girls meet, while all three boys qualifiers will be in Canton for the first time.
Vahedian met a season-long goal by scoring 420.3 points at district last Monday at Columbus School for Girls, well ahead of the other three state qualifiers in Grandview Heights freshman Maura Yates (336.8) and the CSG duo of Mackenzie Gibson (329.2) and Delaney Woods (315.7). Vahedian was 15th at state last year, Gibson was 29th and Woods placed 30th.
"I had an end goal of wanting to break 400 points," Vahedian said. "I've added a front double tuck and a back twister and upped my (degree of difficulty). I'm looking forward to adding a reverse 1 ½ at state."
Jackson Monus, a Bexley freshman, is the top seed after amassing 525.1 points to win district. He will be joined by Centennial's Daniel Barnes (305.45) and Watterson's Kevin Feehan (240.75).
"My strengths on the board are definitely backs and reverses," Monus said. "I've been able to go in the water clean."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OHSAA diving: Who are central Ohio's state title contenders?
