Masuk Diver Makes a Splash, Breaking Her School's Record [VIDEO]

Jessica Konkol stood at the end of the diving board, her back to the Masuk High School swimming pool. Arms outstretched, she bounced on her toes a few times, before launching herself upward and turning forward in mid-air, spinning into two flips, straightening her body out and splashing into the water.

Konkol, 17, had been striving to break Masuk's school diving record of 217.65, set by Kate DiVita in 2009, all season, and her teammates huddled around a stat sheet, following judges scores of her first five dives before Konkol's scores for her sixth and final dive were announced.

"They started screaming, so I sort of knew it," Konkol said.

What they knew was that their teammate broke the record with a total score of 220.60 in a home meet on Oct. 20.

"I knew I was having a good meet, but I didn't think I was gonna break it at that time," Konkol recalled. "It was surprising. I was really happy, because that was one of my goals this season because last year I hovered around it. I'm happy that I broke it."

Coach Sally DiTillio is proud of the Masuk senior.

"She's been working to try and break the record for two years now," DiTillio said.

The maximum score a judge can give for an individual dive is 10 points. DiTullio said Konkol has scored a 7.5 before, adding the scoring is subjective.

"That's what divers have to deal with and that's why scores fluctuate so rapidly from one meet to the next," she said.

Judges base scores on five categories, such as a diver's distance from the board and height in the air. "Your approach depends on what they're looking for," DiTullio explained.

Konkol said, "You create a list for yourself and you give it to the judges, so they know what kind of dive you're gonna do — and they give you a score for it."

"I like inward one-and-a-half," she said of her favorite dive.

In that dive, Konkol stands at the end of the board, facing away from the water, and jumps backward, while twisting forward into one-and-a-half flips, before landing head first into the pool.

'The Most Fearless'

Konkol honed the flexibility and moves that benefit divers by participating in gymnastics.

"I do gymnastics at a club at Next Dimensions in Trumbull," Konkol said. "I've been doing that since I was three-years-old."

She has placed in gymnastics competitions over the years and started diving as a freshman at Masuk.

"It was different than what I expected it to be, but the gymnastics really helped with it," Konkol said of making the transition to diving.

DiTillio believes Konkol has benefited from gymnastics.

"Oh absolutely. That's a big feeder program I have," she said of recruiting divers from gymnastics programs over the course of her 22-year-coaching career. "Gymnasts are very strong and intelligent people. The majority of divers are scholar athletes. I found that to be very consistent."

To be a top diver, DiTullio said an athlete has to be "a little crazy."

Of Konkol, DiTullio said, "She is absolutely the strongest diver I ever had. She's the most fearless."

For all of Konkol's success in diving, DiTullio said she's humble and extremely coach-able.

"You tell her to fix one thing and she can key on it and improve," DiTullio said. "She can isolate any part of the dive quickly to correct it."

As a freshman, DiTillio said Konkol "came in knowing nothing. She never dove before. That is not uncommon, according to DiTullio, who said, "Ninety-eight percent of the divers I've coached had never dove before."

Practicing and competing for just two-and-a-half months a year, DiTullio said it is impressive that Konkol scores in the 200s.

Team Success

Jessica Konkol and fellow senior Liz Seperack are captains of a successful Panthers team this season.

"Liz, her support is just as important as Jessica's points," DiTullio said. "She's doing different dives and she's facing her fears."

Olivia Fox a sophomore and Seperack both qualified to compete in the SWCs and the Ls, which is the state competition.

"Our team in general is usually pretty good," Konkol said. "It places first, second or third for the diving categories."

DiTullio said the Trumbull High School and Masuk swimmers and divers practice together, adding that all three divers from each school made the SWCs and the Ls for the first time.

"This is probably the tightest group of kids," she said. "They're really good kids."

A New Goal: The Opens

Last year, Konkol finished in second place in the SWCs and was Second Team All SWC.

State competitions are determined by how many girls attend a school. Last year, Masuk competed in the Ms (medium) competition and this year eligible swimmers and divers will compete in the Ls (large).

"Last year I think she got fifth out about 32 divers in the ranking," DiTullio said of how Konkol fared in the Ms.

In the state championships divers are ranked for their best of 11 dives. Then the top 24 in all divisions in the entire state go on to compete in the Opens.

"That's the goal for Jess this year, to make it to the Opens," DiTullio said.

If Konkol brings the same hunger she had on Oct. 20, when DiTullio had a premonition she would break her school's record, Konkol may have an excellent chance.

"I could tell right from her mind set at the beginning of the meet," DiTullio said. "You get to know your kids really well. She has a look on her face that nothing is going to get in her way. She peaked at the right time."

Of diving, Konkol said, "I like the people here. It's just something I like to do."