With only sporadic diving participation since debuting 10 years ago, the Hanover High swimming and diving team is aiming to establish a stronger pool of consistent competitors in the latter discipline.
Those who have committed are showing what kind of success is possible. Hanover’s group of four divers will all be vying for championship points Friday night as the NHIAA Division II state meet kicks off at the University of New Hampshire’s Swasey Pool.
Due to weather-related concerns, all diving events have been moved to Friday evening rather than the usual format split over two days. All swimming events slated for Saturday and Sunday remain as scheduled, though the NHIAA indicated in a Thursday news release it may announce further changes by noon Friday.
Hanover freshman Amelia Wallis and sophomore Hazel Garrity-Hanchett are D-II’s only female divers to qualify for states. That means they’re both guaranteed to be contributors to the Marauders’ team score.
On the boys side, Hanover sophomore Kai Renshaw is a serious contender for the individual diving title in a field of 10. He placed second to Derryfield’s Jonathan Furlong last year, but defeated his rival handily during a December home meet at Dartmouth College’s Alumni Gym.
Renshaw has won four of six meets overall this season and is seeded first Friday night with a qualifying score of 351.50 points, more than 100 points ahead of Windham freshman Cameron Rogers (247.55) and Marauder teammate Ben Hoffer (243.90). Furlong (189.30) is seeded just seventh, but that’s misleading, since his qualifying score came at a six-dive meet while many of those ahead of him were scored at 11-dive meets, according to Carl Renshaw, Hanover’s diving coach and Kai’s father.
Kai Renshaw has shown promise springing off the board since fifth grade, when he joined the Upper Valley Diving club team run by Dartmouth coach Chris Hamilton. A former junior high track athlete, Renshaw has since committed to diving year round and progressed steadily.
“He’s a fast learner. He’ll try everything,” Hamilton said. “He’s to the point now where he spins and twists really well, which is what college coaches are looking for when they recruit. He’s got great body awareness and body control.”
Many high school divers, including Wallis, transition to the sport after participating in youth gymnastics. While gymnasts’ stunts such as airborne rotations and somersaults reflect many of the technical elements of diving, there’s one big difference — landing.
“A lot of girls especially are ex-gymnasts, and it’s really not that hard for most of them to make the transition,” Hamilton said. “Probably the biggest issue is getting them used to the idea of landing head-first. They’re so used to landing on their feet, so that’s the biggest challenge. Someone like Kai is the total opposite, because he’s been diving since a young age.”
Renshaw has diving in his pedigree — Carl Renshaw was self-taught and competed at NCAA Division III Carleton College in Minnesota in the 1980s — and said he was drawn to the sport by the laser-sharp focus it requires. His favorite dive is a front-facing 2½ somersault in the pike (V-shaped) position.
“I like that you can just focus on one dive at a time,” Kai Renshaw said on Thursday in a phone interview during a break from lifeguard duty at Alumni Gym, where he ventured after learning school was snowed out. “That’s going to be my goal for (Friday night). Not to focus on the score, but just one dive at a time and make sure I do the things we’ve been going over in practice.”
Hanover’s swimmers will be led by senior Kristian Hansen, a club-level star who recently committed to the University of Minnesota. Hansen is the No. 1 seed and defending champion in the 200-yard freestyle and 500 free, both featuring his sophomore brother, Erik Hansen, seeded second.
Hanover also will be hoping for points from freshmen Jack Wadsworth (first in 100 backstroke, third in 200 individual medley) and Chris Rieseberg (third in 100 breaststroke, fifth in 200 IM) and junior Atticus Kangas (fifth in 100 free, sixth in 100 breaststroke).
Hanover’s girls feature twin freshmen sprinters Grace and Maggie Wenger, who are combined to be seeded in the top four in three events and the top eight in four. Grace Wenger is second in the 100 freestyle, where she’ll hope to challenge top-seeded and Iona College-bound Lebanon senior Kayla Davis. Maggie Wenger, meanwhile, earned the top spot in the 200 free.
Hanover junior Norina Manetsch (fourth in 200 IM and 100 breaststroke), senior sprinter Mikayla Johnson and sophomore Eliza Rodi will also be gunning for points in multiple events, along with Hanover’s relay teams.
“Relays are very important, because they’re worth double the points,” said Hanover coach Ann Brechbuhl, whose boys and girls both placed third to Oyster River and St. Thomas at states last February. “We’ll be hoping for strong performances there.”
For Lebanon’s girls, Davis is the top seed in the 100 freestyle — an event won by teammate Catherine Gavell last season — and is third in the 100 breaststroke.
Gavell will look to repeat as champion in the 100 butterfly, which she finished last year in 57.78. She’s seeded second in the 50 freestyle with a qualifying time of 24.72, 0.22 behind defending champ Lindsay Wagner, a Derryfield sophomore.
The Raider boys are led by senior Scott Shepherd, who’s seeded first in the 100 butterfly and second in the 50 free after missing all of last season following shoulder surgery.
“He’s had a great season,” said Raiders coach K.C. Shepherd, Scott’s dad. “He’s competitive and loves to race, but he’s also pretty natural at it.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.