Center Grove’s Mia Prusiecki receives her medal Saturday afternoon after winning the state diving competition for the second straight year.
Chris Williams | For the Daily Journal
INDIANAPOLIS
Center Grove High School junior Mia Prusiecki had been in tight spots in the past.
“I just tried to control my nerves and stay focused,” Prusiecki said of her last dive on Saturday afternoon. “Take that one dive and make sure I hit it.”
Prusiecki captured her second consecutive 1-meter diving title with 478.30 points, edging Fort Wayne Snider sophomore Amelia Rinehart, who finished second with 466.70 in the IHSAA girls swimming and diving state finals at the IU Natatorium at IUPUI. Prusiecki placed second as a freshman.
“It was definitely tough competition and I’m glad how it turned out,’ Prusiecki said.
Prusiecki wasn’t rattled by the fact she was without her coach.
“Our diving coach (Fred Hill) had an emergency appendectomy,” Trojans swimming coach Brad Smith said. “To be here without a coach this weekend, kudos to Mia for keeping her head on and being able to stay focused on what she wanted to do to walk out of here with that blue ribbon. We pulled help from Franklin and Indian Creek to help her out. One thing I love about this community is we all love to have rivals, but in the face of adversity everyone stepped in to help us out.”
Prusiecki won with 524 points last year, winning by less than five points.
“Last year I had higher scores at state, but throughout the season I had higher scores,” she said. “Consistency has been the big part. This year I’ve had a big difference with having fun and knowing when to focus.”
No diver has ever won three consecutive state titles.
“That’s what I’m shooting for,” Prusiecki said. “I hope to be back; we’ll see. Center Grove has a great atmosphere. I love everything about it. It’s a great team.”
