A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Esko junior Rilee Durovec competed in the state girls swimming and diving meet at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota last Thursday and Friday.
The first Lumberjacks diver to go to State since 2005, Esko junior Rilee Durovec took 20th place at the Minnesota State High School League Class A Swimming and Diving meet last week.
Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls diving coach Nannette "Newt" Snyder said Durovec kept her cool and did well.
"But the caliber of diving really escalates when you get to State," said the longtime diving coach, a member of the first girls swim team in 1972. "A lot of metro area kids are diving all year long."
According to her coach, Durovec performed very well on her first five dives, and made the first cut to 20 divers on Thursday, Nov. 16. But she also missed a few of her dives, scoring lower than she's capable of.
After three more dives, they cut to the final 16 divers, who advanced to the final round on Saturday, Nov. 18. Durovec placed 20th out of 31 divers at State.
"You can't miss too much and make the top 16," Snyder said.
But Durovec is a junior, so she should be back.
"I'm so looking forward to it," said her coach. "This year was just a whirlwind of hard work and achievement. Rilee really was a star."
It was a good experience at a remarkable facility with numerous diving boards and platforms at many heights, her coach said. Plus Durovec got to dive against some friends she's made over her years of competition as well.
"We grow and become friends with all the divers in our region, and the divers themselves become friends," Snyder said.
