The Tonawanda Boys Swim + Dive team has had a very successful season this winter including a second place finish at Class C Championships. A big part of that has been the success of the Diving program led by sophomore Jackson Conley. Jackson has taken WNY diving by storm as one of the most prolific tumblers in the section. Whereas other elite divers choose to refine easier dives for higher scores, Jackson has pushed the limits of his abilities to perform complex dives with multiple flips. This has increased his "degree of difficulty" on most of his dives to a level so high that he has almost "maxed out" what is allowed in high school diving.
Jackson had a great duel season, and was touted continuously by the officials as a premier diver. In the post-season, Jackson was champion of the Erie County for his second year in a row, and was first place amongst small schools (Class C) in Section VI a week later. This past week, Jackson attended the Section VI State Qualifier meet and took 4th place overall in WNY. His score of 450.3 also made Jackson a state qualifier, and he is heading to Ithaca NY on March 3rd to compete against the best the state has to offer!
Jackson is highly respected by his coaches, teammates, opponents, coaches of opponents, officials, and fans. Jackson success is not only a result of talent, but his work ethic and drive to improve at every opportunity. Coach Patrick Ball, who runs the diving program for both the boys and the girls programs, worked with Jackson to target the dives that scored low at the county meet. Jacksons strength as a person and an athlete was demonstrated in practice as he addressed his weaknesses one-by-one. Jacksons efforts and grit exemplify what it means to be a Tonawanda Warrior. If you get the chance to head to the pool next boys season, be sure not to miss diving as it will be quite the show.