Greenwich High divers finish season with fine performances at State Open finals

By David Fierro on November 19, 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

**Photo by Eryn Bingle:** Annie Bingle gets ready to execute a dive at the CIAC State Open Diving Championships on Thursday, November 18, 2021, at Middletown High School in Middletown, Connecticut.

Greenwich High School’s divers capped a successful season with standout performances on the 1-meter diving board at Thursday’s CIAC State Open Championships at Middletown High School.

Senior Annie Bingle paced Greenwich’s impressive accomplishments at the State Open diving finals. Bingle posted a sixth-place finish in her final competition for the Cardinals, earning 430.30 points over 11 rounds of action.

The season also saw Bingle, an All-FCIAC, All-State Team honoree, placed second at the Class LL Championships (461.80 points) and earn the silver medal at the FCIAC Championships.

Bingle will continue her diving career next season at the University of Pennsylvania. Hannah Chuckas, a junior representing Westhill-Stamford, dove to the State Open title. She totaled a winning score of 462.75 points.

Adriana Mieses-Sanchez, a Windsor senior, was finished second at the State Open (456.95), followed by New Canaan junior Natalie Penman (449.20). Kaitlyn Maggio, a junior, placed fourth for New Canaan (446.75) and Jade-Su Casey (Glastonbury, 431.30) rounded out the top-five finishers at the State Open diving finals.

Junior Javiera Garcia finished 14th for Greenwich at Thursday’s State Open. Garcia, also an All-FCIAC and All-State team selection, had a score of 372.20. Teammate Esme Merrill, one of the Cardinals’ captains, placed 20th at the Open, totaling 337.10 points.

**Photo by Eryn Bingle:** Javiera Garcia of Greenwich gets ready to execute one of her dives at the State Open finals.

Garcia also had a fourth-place finish at the Class LL diving finals (414.80), while Merrill placed seventh (357.85) at the Class LL competition. Also at last week’s Class LL competition, Cardinals sophomore Mackenzie Newi was 10th (337.90).

Other divers from FCIAC schools performing well at Thursday’s State Open included Julia Stefanowicz of Westhill-Stamford (eighth, 399.00), Ella Olaffson from New Canaan (381.05, 11th), Kate Whitaker (Staples, 13th, 372.90) and Darien’s Megan Hayes (16th, 364.35), Lilly Wurm (22nd, 332.55), Annelise Enters (332.00, 23rd) and Olivia Perkins (24th, 325.25).

**Photo by Eryn Bingle**: Esme Merrill gets ready to perform a back dive at the State Open Championships.

Greenwich which placed first in the team standings at the Class LL Swimming Championships this past Wednesday at Southern Connecticut State University, will go for the State Open title Sunday at Cornerstone Aquatics Center in West Hartford. The Cardinals’ swimmers enter the State Open in good position, after flourishing at the Class LL finals and after the team’s divers earned plenty of points at the State Open.