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Pickerington North's Sofia Frangos takes second at OHSAA Division I state diving
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- Pickerington North's Sofia Frangos takes second at OHSAA Division I state diving
Although she was no stranger to the Division I state meet, Pickerington North senior diver Sofia Frangos admitted to having jitters before and during some of her final high school competition Wednesday.
They eventually were overcome by a sense of urgency after Frangos, an Ohio State commit and three-time state qualifier, found herself in 17th place through five rounds at Branin Natatorium in Canton .
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"It was a realization I needed to kick it in, turn it on or else this meet would not go the way I was hoping," she said. "Sometimes those early dives aren't a true tell of how the meet will go. Some girls put their best dives early, so you have to look at it and know you can recover. I was doing well enough to make it through the first cut, then I turned on the focus."
Frangos roared back, scoring a combined 137.6 points in the final three rounds to come within an eyelash of her first championship. But Brecksville-Broadview Heights' Rachel Kirin scored 48.75 on her 11th and final dive to edge out Frangos 426.75-423.55.
Pickerington North senior diver Sofia Frangos finished second in the Division I state meet Wednesday at Branin Natatorium in Canton.
Frangos scored 45.6 on an inward 1 ½ pike in the ninth round, 44.85 in the 10th on a back 1 ½ twist with one somersault and 47.15 on a front double pike to finish.
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"They were not necessarily my best dives," Frangos said. "I just figured out how to hit them the way they needed to be hit at the end."
That capped a wild meet that became the best for central Ohio in almost a decade.
Big Walnut sophomore Sarah White led as late as the ninth round but finished third (416.9), immediately ahead of Olentangy sophomore Evelyn Fitz (405.7) and Upper Arlington junior Madison Vermilion (403.55).
Olentangy Liberty junior Abby Foskey was ninth (389.3), giving central Ohio its best day in the meet since the area claimed the top five spots in 2016.
"It was very back and forth," said Jen White, who coaches Sarah White, her daughter, and several other participating divers, including Fitz and Foskey. "Sarah stayed steady the entire meet. She stayed focused. She definitely wasn't as stressed as last year."
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The meet was tight throughout.
After five rounds, when the initial 32-diver field was cut to 20, just 5.1 points separated second and eighth place. There was an 11.9-point gap between second and 20th.
White, who placed 32nd as a freshman, led Fitz by 0.6 after the eighth round, when she scored 40.25 on a back twister, and by 0.35 through nine.
"I knew (Fitz and I) were going to be back and forth, but I didn't know it would be that close," Sarah White said.
Gahanna Lincoln junior Kennedy Mignogno placed 21st (172.4), UA sophomore Mia Wiegman was 26th (166.45) and Olentangy Orange junior Peyton Rankin finished 30th (157.5).
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Division II: Columbus Academy's Vahedian reaches state podium
Academy senior Elle Vahedian finished her high school career with her best state meet, placing fifth (368.75) in her fourth appearance.
Vahedian, a Washington University of St. Louis signee who stayed in the top six all day, climbed up to fifth on the strength of a 34.1-point front double in the seventh round and a reverse 1 ½ in the ninth that earned her 34.65.
It was Vahedian's first podium finish after she placed 10th last year, 15th in 2023 and 23rd in 2022. The top eight make the podium.
"I've kept my order the same all the way from early in the season and that's worked for me," Vahedian said. "I've focused on taking it one dive at a time. I've seen that's worked for me in meets.
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"My goal was definitely to make the podium this year. That's what I had my eyes set on when I walked in. I'm super happy with how it went."
Columbus Academy's Elle Vahedian finished fifth in the Division II state meet Wednesday.
Napoleon's Ella Borstleman (431.75) fended off Joy Brown of Liberty Center (411) for the title.
Grandview Heights sophomore Maura Yates also made the finals and placed 14th (331.35).
Columbus School for Girls' duo of junior Delaney Woods and freshman Sydney Morris placed 20th (221) and 25th (134.7), respectively. Wellington sophomore Dorothy Blackburn was 26th (133.45), Grandview freshman Isla Swisher finished 29th (126.7) and Bexley freshman Charlotte Langolf was 31st (112.95).
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In the boys competition Tuesday, Bexley sophomore Jackson Monus won his second straight Division II title . It was central Ohio's 46th state diving championship .
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OHSAA diving: Pickerington North's Sofia Frangos takes second at state
