DeVita sets school diving record

Written by Pasquale DeMatteo, Correspondent
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 13:42

Masuk High diver Katelyn DeVita popped out of the water after a well-executed inward 1 1⁄2 to see three impressed judges and hear an ovation from both the stands above the pool and her teammates on the edge of the pool.

The senior was awarded 42 points on that dive alone and finished the Panthers’ meet with Newtown High with a school record total of 217.65 on Oct. 28.

“My goal coming into the season was to break the school record and now I did. It is really exciting,” De Vita said.

The second-year diver made huge strides quickly for coaches Mark McKee and Sally DiTullio.

De Vita actually broke the Masuk record held by Keristen Raccio earlier this season and then bested her own record against Newtown, which won the SWC meet by a score of 100-84.

DeVita appeared oblivious to everything around her each time she stepped on the diving board, and yet was fully aware of her goals and her ability to execute each dive.

She also scored 41 points on a forward double pike.

“A positive mental attitude is more than half the battle in diving and I think my gymnastics background helped me with that,” DeVita said.

Her record-setting performance helped the Panthers dominate the diving portion of the meet, as Jessica Konkol placed second with 180.3 points and Catherine Fox finished fourth with 144.25.

The divers notched 12 team points in the one-meter event.

The Panthers strongest finishes came with two individual wins in the 100 butterfly and the 500 freestyle along with wins in the 200- and 400 freestyle relays.

Nicole Boyd was the winning swimmer in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:09:52, as Masuk scored 11 team points in the event.

Sarah Barbarula finished third at 1:16:15 and Sam Reid was right behind her at 1:17:48.

In the 500 freestyle, Amelia Suda pulled out a win with a time of 5:46:18.

Alysha Griffiths notched a team point in the event with a time of 6:07:47.

The locals’ success in the relay events was helped greatly by the performance of Ameila Suda in the anchor position.

Juniors Carlee Price and Griffiths teamed with freshman Renee Cayer and Suda to win the 200 with a time of 1:55:14.

Halie Strack, Reid, Barbarula and Nicole Williams teamed up for a third-place finish in the event with a time of 2:09:10.

Suda entered the water with a lead in the 400-relay after strong swims by Boyd, Cayer and Chelsea Price and finished in 4:08:27.

Barbarula, Carlee Price, Griffiths and Emily DeMace finished second in that final event to score 12 team points for Masuk.

Seniors Suda, Williams and Chelsea Price scored 17 points for the team in individual events and their presence was felt much more on the edge of the pool throughout the meet and afterwards in the ceremony.

“The seniors have made it easy to coach this team all year and was great to see them all competing and enjoying themselves,” McKee said. “You would never know they lost.”