MHHS Diver, Keira Chandler honored to be named NISCA All-American

Tracy Press
Recently named All-American by the National Interscholastic Swim Coach Association (NISCA), local
diver Keira Chandler is a soon to be junior at Mountain House High. Chandler represented the Mustangs
and the Delta Valley Divers club in Stockton in pools all over the state in the spring and she rounded off
her sophomore campaign with an outstanding 12th place finish at the CIF California State championship meet in Clovis on May 11-13.  It was a feat that filled Chandler with an immense pride and happiness. “It was really great to be recognized and acknowledged for all of my hard work and dedication,” she told the Tracy Press. “I felt really proud. It was an honor to be able to compete with and against the best in the State.” To achieve All-American status in diving, female athletes must score a minimum of 375.00 points and have a degree of difficulty in optional dives of 13.0 or higher. Then, videos of an athlete’s performance are evaluated
by a panel of judges from across the country. Chandler met the criteria and then some when she plunged in
for a score of 464.85 in the 1-meter diving event. As a former gymnast, the transition between the sports was
quite seamless when it came to the acrobatics. However, getting used to the different landing surfaces self-admittedly did take some time. “It’s a completely different feeling and it definitely took a lot of re-training,” Chandler said. “Especially with my mind, you go from landing on your feet most of the time to flipping it over
to your head and diving in. It took a lot of re-learning how to do the basic things in a different kind of way.”
Before taking off on her journey towards the excellent showing amongst the state’s elite, Chandler initially quit gymnastics and tried her hand at swimming. Having always loved flipping and water, it was the next natural point of action. However, it was not quite fulfilling enough. “(Swimming) wasn’t really for me,” she explained. “I missed flipping around too much and that’s when I discovered diving. I thought it would be a good sport to try.”
When you pair up a gymnast with a lifelong love for water, diving is likely always going to be the sum of the equations. In many ways, it was a match made in heaven for Chandler. Now, almost two years to the day removed

 

from her first practice at Delta Valley, Keira is no longer just having fun. She has also become an exceptional athlete and an example to others on the team.  The transition brought about a fair share of trials and tribulations but Chandler said that she continued falling in love with the sport more and more throughout the process. She still cherishes being able to combine her two biggest passions. All things considered, Chandler’s
rise to the top of the sport at her level of competition happened quickly.  She qualified for the state championships by winning the CIF SacJoaquin Section meet with a score of 453.65 back in April. She is a trailblazer in the sport at her school and that  means a lot in its own right. Another thing that made the experience even sweeter for Keira was the fact that she got to accomplish all these things this season with her club teammates by her side. Lodi High senior Savanna Berry was the only Delta Valley member to finish higher than Chandler at state (8th, 490.05). St. Mary’s High junior Riley Lee and Ripon High sophomore Brooklyn Goeckeritz both also finished inside the Top 15 and secured All-American honors. As far as experiences come, this one was unique and one that Chandler holds near and dear to her heart as a result. “I was really happy and proud of not only myself but my teammates too,”  Chandler added. “We were able to compete through sections and qualify together and that was super exciting.” On a personal level, Chandler recognizes that she is in prime position to continue creating historyas a Mustang and beyond with her high school career just about having reached the halfway point.
Chandler said that he doesn’t really set goals for herself before meets. It’s all about continuing to work hard and
doing her best and seeing what the results are. However, a humble mindset and a strong work ethic go a long
way and they could take the diver even higher up the standings next year. “I know that I can accomplish great
things because of my hard work,” she said. “I feel like I just keep climbing and I know that I can get even better
over the next two years if I’ve already made it this far.” Contact Arion Armeniakos at aarmeniako