When coaches evaluate potential athletes for their teams, what they look for isn’t always obvious – talent.
Foxes diving coach Vernon Yenick happens to have some very skilled divers, many of who have backgrounds in gymnastics, but what he is most impressed with are their nose-to-the-grindstone work ethics, their potential for growth, and the fact that they are coachable.
Returner Jackson Hagler has all of that and more. He qualified for the 2022 WPIAL and PIAA championships as a freshman and has continued to hone his skills. He made the most of his summer by attending the Ripfest Diving Camp in Indianapolis, where he received instruction from Olympic coach John Wingfield. His progress since then has been quite evident to coach Yenick.\
“Jackson’s diving benefited immensely from that week of camp,” coach Yenick says. “He has improved his backward and reverse skills exponentially. He has the desire to be the best, and I see that happening. I really believe he has the possibility of being the WPIAL Class 4A champion. I don’t know of another boy diver in the WPIAL who is better than him.”
The girls team includes eight divers, the most in recent history. With strong backgrounds in the sport of gymnastics, coach Yenick believes everyone on the team has the potential to be a good competitor. Sophomore Ellie Dering leads the girls team as captain. Also on the roster are fellow sophomores Ainsley Anderson, Noelle Dick, Emma Kim, Gina Fitzsimmons, and Devon McDonald. Addy Kress completes the team as a promising freshman.
In their first meet of the season, Jackson and Noelle qualified for the 2023 WPIAL championships.
Experienced and New Divers
“Ellie is a former gymnast who is physically and mentally strong,” states coach Yenick. “That is so important because diving is for individuals who are strong-willed and fearless.”
Ellie offers her insights about the girls’ divers: “I believe our team is very close and talented as a whole,” Ellie says. “With hard work, we can accomplish some awesome goals. A challenge we face is the new WPIAL competition format, but I am sure that together we will successfully navigate this change. Also, our newest members, Gina and Addy, have been a wonderful addition to the team already. The other girls and I trained with coach Vernon over the summer. I think I can speak for the other girls as well as myself when I say it was a really good time to keep up good habits and learn new dives.”
According to their coach, Ainsley is physically strong, fearless, talented, and has a natural ability to find where a vertical entry is on nearly every dive.
“Noelle has excellent form and the ability to make any dive look effortless.” says coach Yenick. “She is a champ at learning new dives and has a beautiful pike position.”
He describes Devon, Addy, and Gina as quick learners and determined.
“Devon has amazing potential, is an awesome athlete, and is great to coach. Addy is a beginner, but she has amazing potential, and I expect her to qualify for WPIALs next season. Gina is also a beginner with a gymnastics background. I don’t think I have ever seen a new diver learn and move forward so quickly. After only several weeks of diving, she has learned many new skills and dives and will be unstoppable.”
Coach Yenick’s optimistic outlook also is rooted in the fact that some of his divers attended his summer training program.
“I have confidence that our whole team, both boys and girls, will be strong competitors,” says coach Yenick. Every member of the dive team already raised their scores from their highest ones from last year. This is a very promising season, and I am thrilled with their performance.”