Erik Boal
CLAREMONT -- There is something to be said for going out with a bang.
But for Crescenta Valley High senior Joey Castellani, his stellar
four-year diving career concluded Tuesday at Claremont-McKenna-Scripps
College without so much as a splash.
The lone member of the Falcon boys' diving team executed an almost
flawless inward 2 1/2 somersault in tuck position on the final attempt of
his 11-dive schedule on the three-meter springboard, earning scores of
8.5 from all but one judge to secure his first CIF Southern Section
Division II title at the Matt M. Axelrood pool.
Castellani -- who took 10th as a freshman, third as a sophomore and
runner-up last season to two-time champion Louis Gagnet of Irvine
University -- scored 516.95 points, almost 30 points better than last
year's total, to become the second CV diver to win a CIF crown.
Kasey Reinhard, now a sophomore at UCLA, won the Division II girls'
championship in 1998.
"It feels really good," said Castellani, who averaged scores between 6
and 8.5 on all of his dives, which had degrees of difficulty ranging from
1.4 to 2.8.
"Every year I placed higher than the year before, but this year I
finally won.
"I've only really been diving for 3 1/2 years and I think it was a
case of just finally learning how to compete. In the past I would get
really nervous, but I didn't so much today and I just focused on staying
calm and doing my own thing."
Castellani's thing, or his routine -- which featured four back dives,
three reverse dives, two forward dives and two of the inward variety --
was good enough to post a convincing victory over La Palma Kennedy's
Ronald Morris, who tallied 467.25 points.
A diver's total is calculated after the highest and lowest scores are
thrown out from the marks awarded by the five judges. The three remaining
scores are added together and then multiplied by the degree of difficulty
assessed to the particular dive.
Castellani's three highest-scoring dives included his final one, on
which he earned 68.85 points, in addition to a forward 2 1/2 somersault
in pike position and a back 2 1/2 somersault in tuck position, on which
he scored 57.6 and 54.6 points, respectively.
DIVING RESULTS
o7 Results of Tuesday's CIF Southern Section Division II boys' diving
championship at the Matt M. Axelrood pool at Claremont-McKenna-Scripps
College. The top 16 finishers are awarded points on a
20-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, which will be added to
their team's score following Saturday's CIF swimming final at Belmont
Plaza in Long Beach.f7
LEADERBOARD
1. Joey Castellani (Crescenta Valley) 516.95.
2. Ronald Morris (La Palma Kennedy) 467.25.
3. Terrance Huang (L.A. Loyola) 422.15.
4. Allen Moheimani (Corona del Mar) n/a.
5. Greg Harm (North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake) n/a.
6. Joe O'Connor (L.A. Loyola) n/a.
7. Connor Boyd (North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake) n/a.
8. Michael Copeland (La Habra Sonora) n/a.
9. Ravi Garg (North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake) n/a.
10. Ty Nakanishi (Troy) n/a.
