Las Positas Divers Rise To Challenge

What the Las Positas divers lacked in experience at the NorCal Diving Championships on April 16 in Stockton, they more than made up for with athletic talent and determination.

The recent NorCal meet served as a Regional qualifier for the State Championships and for scoring in the conference championships.

Las Positas coach Jason Craighead was awed by the efforts of his diving newbies.

“All the LPC divers are first-year divers,” Craighead declared. “I am proud to say we have some great athletes who not only took to a difficult sport, but did so in a very short time, and very successfully. We have some real gamers. Two of our men who learned to dive two weeks ago qualified for the State Championships.

Las Positas is set to host the Coast Conference Championships Thursday through Saturday, April 21-23. The Hawks reeled off five consecutive conference titles before championship meets statewide were canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, 2022 represents Las Positas’ chance to extend the streak.

"Let's see if we can make No. 6 happen," Craighead said recently.

Craighead says the conference meet represents a complex puzzle for his program.

"We are balancing two story lines: a return to championship form after COVID and also trying to qualify the largest team possible for the State Championships."

He added, "We think we have the pieces right. We will find out Saturday if the Championship puzzle was solved and Tuesday if the State Qualifying puzzle was solved also."

Here’s a breakdown of the Las Positas efforts in NorCal diving:

For women:

Monica Ureno: 17th for NorCal, 4th in Coast Conference on 1 Meter; 13th for NorCal; and 3rd in Conference on 3 Meter.

Destiny Yano: 20th for NorCal, 7th in Conference.

For Men:

Kean Zandona: Men’s 1 Meter, 15th for NorCal, 4th in Conference.

Eric Vandagriff: Men’s 1 Meter, 14th for NorCal, 3rd in Conference.

Ryan Clark: Men’s 1 Meter, 11th for NorCal, 2nd in Conference; Men’s 3 Meter, 6th in NorCal, 1st in Conference (State Qualifier).

Cade Venables: Men’s 1 Meter, Tied 9th for NorCal, 1st in Conference (State Qualifier); Men’s 3 Meter, 8th in NorCal, 2nd in Conference (State Qualifier).

PENTATHLON

Las Positas also sizzled at the recent American River Pentathlon, in record high temperatures of 92 degrees.

In men’s, Franco Moufarrej was just the third Hawk in program history to win the sprint Pentathlon. He went undefeated, getting faster with each swim, winning the last shootout with a time of 21.36 seconds.

In women’s, Ashley Sand won the overall high point total, swimming all five events, and was the second Hawk ever to win the Pentathlon crown.

GOODBYE, COACH

Las Positas swimming is also saying goodbye at the conference meet to devoted coach Loren Pearson, who will be relocating to Idaho