Harborfields senior Ava Vandor successfully defends Suffolk girls diving crown
Ava Vandor of the Huntington/Harborfields/Whitman/Glenn girls swimming and diving team at the Suffolk diving championships on Thursday in Stony Brook. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
A year after breaking through as Suffolk’s top diver, Ava Vandor proved she’s here to stay. The Huntington/Harborfields/Whitman/Glenn senior standout defended her crown Thursday night with another dominant showing at the Suffolk 1-Meter Diving Championship at Stony Brook University.
After 11 dives, Vandor topped a field of 16 divers with a score of 420.95. Although the state qualifying mark was 440, the county champion still advances to the state championships.
“Even though it’s my second time winning, it’s definitely still a shock to be a county champion,” Vandor said. “I was sick last week, so I was really nervous coming into this. But I’m really excited.”
Vandor, a senior at Harborfields, took control early, building a 10-point lead after the first five dives. Three dives later, she added 108 points and maintained a steady advantage the rest of the way.
Connetquot’s Olivia Ferrentino finished second with a score of 399.55, and Hauppauge-Smithtown’s Mackenzie Clarke placed third (355.6).
“It’s funny, because I actually think she had a lot more self-doubt this year,” Harborfields coach Meg McConnell said. “I think there was more pressure; everyone really performed well today, but she didn’t let it get in her head. She’s really grown in her confidence and willingness to try harder dives.”
Just last week, Vandor earned her third consecutive Suffolk League I diving title.
“It’s been really emotional this season just knowing that it’s my last,” Vandor said. “But I feel like I’ve grown so much. I’ve definitely gotten stronger in terms of my height, and I’ve been less fearful of some of the new dives – I even added one this year.”
That dive was her reverse one-and-a-half, a skill she said made her most proud on Thursday.
“I was really proud of myself for going for that one,” Vandor said. “I was nervous that I wasn’t fully going to go for it, but I’m happy I did.”
Vandor will travel to Webster in Monroe County on Friday, Nov. 21, as the only diver representing Suffolk County, where she hopes to climb higher on the leaderboard and build on last year’s state-championship experience, when she finished 20th.
“I’m super pumped to go to the state championship again,” Vandor said. “Last year, I didn’t think I’d make it past the first round, so this time around, I feel more capable and more confident. I’m hoping to maybe get to the third round.”
