By Saktisri Gowrishankar, Staff Reporter
Junior Avery Hillier won the PIAA District 1 girls diving champion on Feb. 16 at North Penn High School. Hillier won all nine of her meets this past season, including two invitationals, and previously held the title in the past year.
“It feels really good (to have won diving districts) recently. I was really happy with my performance. I think I did well, and it just felt really good to be winning competitions again,” Hillier said.
Hillier dives for Knight Diving Academy, which holds practices at the Rutgers University campus. She also hopes to perform well at states for Conestoga at Bucknell University and at a national competition for Knight Diving Academy. She practices diving six days a week for about three consecutive hours each day.
“It’s definitely been a challenge because I do diving a lot and I’m always at practice. I also like to challenge myself at school,” Hillier said. “It’s definitely been hard, but I’ve learned that I have to manage time really well and I just have to make sure that I’m on top of things.”
Hillier also swims for Conestoga, placing on the podium for the 50-yard freestyle at the Central League championship and qualifying for districts, at which she participated in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Hillier’s mother, Megan Hillier, is the head coach of the Conestoga girls’ diving team. She saw that her daughter was under pressure to uphold her title but felt that both of them were more comfortable at this year’s district meet. Megan Hillier used to be a diver at Conestoga and said that she loves seeing her daughter dive and achieve so much.
“My favorite part of coaching her is seeing her do what I used to love and seeing her become more successful than I ever was. I was never even a tenth as good as she has become, so I’m proud as a mom,” Megan Hillier said. “I love watching her make the small corrections in her dives and better her score and come out of the pool with a smiling face. I love to see her so happy — she’s just always so happy when she dives.”
Saktisri Gowrishankar can be reached at [email protected].
