WyoPreps Spotlight: 2022 Girls Diving State Champions [VIDEOS]
A pair of seniors won the diving state championships earlier this month at the girls’ state swim meet in Laramie.
Zella Maez of Green River and Cheyenne Central’s Brinkley Lewis took the titles in 2022 in Class 3A and 4A, respectively. It was the first diving state championship for both, and they did it in different ways.
Maez came from behind after the diving prelims and semifinals and eked out a victory by just over three points. Her final point total for the 3A crown on the diving board was 349.20. Thanks to two big dives in the finals, Maez overtook Tayler Davis of Evanston.
WyoPreps spoke to Maez shortly after her win. She discussed the feeling of being a state champion diver, assessed her dives, and what it took to win the title this year.
Maez finished third in 3A as a junior in 2021. Her best scores during the 2022 season had her fifth in the division. Maez’s score at the state meet was a career-best.
For Lewis, she was the favorite all season and paid it off with a state championship on Nov. 5, 2022. Lewis scored 427.75 points and won by over 32 points. She led the 4A diving competition at the state meet from start to finish.
Lewis told WyoPreps what it meant to her to win, described her dives and how she did, and more.
As a junior in 2021, Lewis placed fourth at state championships in diving. She had the top scores in both the six-dive and 11-dive formats during the 2022 season. Her best score was 468 points on 11-dives, which came on Oct. 4, Central’s Senior Night.