PANAMA CITY BEACH — The handful of spectators at the Panama City Beach Aquatic Center may not have been aware what they were seeing on Wednesday.
They were viewing history on the diving board.
Only seven athletes competed in the second dive meet of the season, but at least three are expected to challenge for state spots in the coming weeks. Another few from a trio at Mosley also could contend and the expected advancement would be unprecedented.
Two girls have moved on to state from Bay County. Ever. Three would be rather special, Bay County diving coach Jason Eppley said.
Those three include Bay's Chandler Haligas, who won the meet, and Kiley Hagan. Arnold's Carson Bronnenberg, who was second, also is a favorite.
"They'll all be top contenders at districts and up," said Eppley, who's a Chief Navy Diver and in his first year as coach. "It will be a battle between them and going into regionals will be interesting."
Eppley has experience as a diver at Western Kentucky University before a back injury halted his career after two seasons. He also coached in Michigan and is aided by former Rutherford state champion Chris Jackson. Eppley is pleased with the talent his small bunch possesses.
The trio also are cheerleaders at their respective schools. Haligas has experience in gymnastics and each are multi-sport athletes. The skills they learned tumbling have immediately helped them on the board, Eppley said.
He said they have a strong sense of body control. Much of the early part of the season is not only spent learning new dives, as they will need to complete 11 at districts and beyond, but figuring out how to adjust in the air and be sound in technique.
"The biggest thing for me to teach them is mechanics and the muscle memory comes with that," Eppley said. "That way when you do get into the air you know what to do."
Eppley said he saw improvement in each diver from the first meet last week to Wednesday. Some attempted new dives, including Mosley's Sydnee Thompson, and were successful on the first try. Eppley sees that trend continuing through the district meet in five weeks.
"They'll keep on progressing more," he said.
Dive meet results:
- Boys: Larson Door, Arnold, 87.85
- Girls: Chandler Haligas, Bay, 193.6; Carson Bronnenberg, Arnold, 188.75; Alexa Patronis, Mosley, 168.55; Kiley Hagan, Bay, 134,5; Sidney Thompson, Mosley, 121.8; Natalie Shaw, Mosley, 100.5