Tigers still populate podium after North Allegheny reign ends in PIAA Class 3A girls diving

By: Michael Love
Thursday, March 14, 2024 | 6:23 PM

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A new PIAA Class 3A girls diving champion was guaranteed to be crowned Thursday afternoon at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium.

The champion the past three years, North Allegheny’s Christina Shi, graduated and is now diving at Harvard.

Last year’s runner-up, Latrobe’s Hannah Polosky, also moved on and is at Pitt.

WPIAL champion Lola Malarky and runner-up Juliet Hood, both juniors from North Allegheny, hoped to continued the Tigers championship run.

Both battled and moved up the standings throughout the competition, but District 1 champion Avery Hillier, a junior from Conestoga, stood on top of the podium at the end.

Hillier finished with 478.40 points. Hood was second overall with 441.55 points, less than a point ahead of Malarky (440.70).

“We worked really hard this year, and we all did our best today,” Hood said. “Some dives could’ve been better, and others we performed how we wanted. The meet was pretty competitive all the way through.”

Hood earned a PIAA medal for the second year in a row. She moved up from seventh last year.

Malarky, a Yale commit, also was third last year and medaled in eighth in 2022.

“It wasn’t my best meet, but that is OK,” Malarky said. “I feel I definitely have a lot to learn from this meet. I look forward to going back and taking what I can from it. I have another year, and I hope to get back in position to win a title next year.

“I’m really happy we could get points for the swim team, too. It’s a good feeling to know that I am training with some of the best divers in the state.”

Hillier also led after the first two rounds. She held a seven-point advantage over District 11 Freedom’s Hayden Taylor and was up 11 on Ridley’s Ava Keller after the first five dives.

Hood was fourth and Malarky was fifth, both 14 points behind the leader.

Taylor fell off to fifth and Keller, 14th at states last year as a junior, moved up to second, 29 points behind Hillier, after the completion of the second round (eighth dive).

Hood and Malarky both bumped up one spot to third and fourth, respectively, for the final three dives. Hood was just six-tenths of a point behind Keller, while Malarky was five points behind Hood.

Keller landed in fourth in the final standings with 420.95 points.

Mars senior Emily Mueller was in medal contention – seventh – heading to the finals, and she moved up one spot to sixth with 384.10 points.

Mueller totaled 102.75 points over her final three dives.

North Allegheny sophomore Maggie Lapina, third at WPIALs behind Malarky and Hood, was in striking distance of a medal in 11th, 20 points from the eighth-place spot, with three dives to go.

She moved up one spot to finish 10th overall with 358.20 points.

North Allegheny was the only school to qualify three divers for the championship meet.

“I love my teammates so much, and I love competing with them,” Hood said.

“We’re always very supportive of each other, and we always want the best for each other.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.