STOCKTON, Calif. – Senior Paige Vicente finished third in the 1-meter diving championship with a final tally of 358.45 points, earning a trip to the state championship meet and highlighting St. Francis action at the Sac-Joaquin Section diving championships, held at St. Mary's High School's Cortopassi Aquatics Center Monday.
This is the fourth appearance overall and third in the varsity competition for the UC Santa Cruz commit, who previously placed seventh in 2024 (342.80) and eighth in 2023 (345.45). The CIF-SJS is one of five sections awarded four qualifiers to the state championship meet, held from May 15-17 at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex.
Mountain House's Keira Chandler won her third straight section title with a 441.15 sum, well ahead of Oak Ridge's Mimi Poort, who totaled 415.45 for a runner-up finish. Vicente's third won a competitive battle with Davis' Violet Watts, who claimed the final section berth with her fourth-place 349.75.
Overall, the Troubadours had all four of their varsity entrants advance to the finals. Senior Maya Hamilton placed ninth with 302.00, freshman Stella Cassidy finished 14th at 289.80, with freshman Piper Bates claiming 15th. The 16 finalists from Monday's diving contribute points to the overall section swimming championship, held on Wednesday through Friday in Elk Grove.
Vicente clung to seventh place when the field reduced from 39 participants to 20 semifinalists, managing 36.75 points in the fifth round on a 5231D, or back 1.5 somersault with a half twist. However, she jumped from seventh to fourth place during the three semifinal rounds, with a 40.95 bump on a 307C (reverse 1.5 tuck) in Round 7 leading the cause. Vicente entered the final three dives trailing Watts by approximately five points, 266.65 to 261.05, but with plenty of breathing room ahead of Folsom's Naomi Anderson for one of the four trips to state.
Watts' last three dives added up to 83.10 points, with Vicente amassing 97.40 during the same span. Vicente moved ahead of her Blue Devil counterpart on the ninth dive: a 35.65 on a 104B (forward 2.0 pike).
The varsity competition followed the junior varsity 1-meter board, where sophomore Rose Buffleben led the Troubadours with a second-place 292.20 total. Freshman Alex Suter also advanced to the 16-diver final, ultimately placing eighth at 245.15. Rodriguez' Audrey Suherman won the JV championship with a 320.55 score.
Buffleben trailed Suherman by a mere 1.40 points during the five-dive preliminaries, exploding for 41.80 points on her second dive, a 104C (forward 2.0 tuck). She slipped to third at the semifinal cut with 211.55 points, about five points behind Bella Vista's Chloe Jungk (216.65) but in front of former SF teammate Lily Frei of Rio Americano (199.85). However, Buffleben added another 80.65 in her final three dives to pass Jungk for the runner-up spot on the podium.
The SJS swimming championship takes place over three days at the Elk Grove Aquatics Center this week: girls' prelims on Wednesday, boys' prelims on Thursday, with both boys and girls competing in the finals on Friday. St. Francis looks to claim its third straight Division II championship at the meet.
The CIF state meet also spans three days: diving on May 15, then swimming on May 16 and 17.
2025 SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Cortopassi Aquatic Center (Stockton, Calif.)
Girls' events only • Winner plus SF finishers listed.
GIRLS' JUNIOR VARSITY 1-METER - 1. Audrey Suherman, Rodriguez, 320.55... 2. Rose Buffleben, 292.20; 8. Alex Suter, 245.15.
GIRLS' VARSITY 1-METER - 1. Keira Chandler, Mountain House, 441.15... 3. Paige Vicente, 358.45; 9. Maya Hamilton, 302.00; 14. Stella Cassidy, 289.80; 15. Piper Bates, 281.40.
