FORT COLLINS | In his high school days, Taylor Roberts used to be part of a dynamic diving duo at Smoky Hill along with Karo Isajan.
Now the diving coach at Regis Jesuit, Roberts has two similar standouts in his program in freshman Kyle Goodwin and sophomore Matt Mauser, who finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, on May 19 at the Class 5A boys state swim meet.
Roberts and Isajan combined for two 5A state championships — Roberts in 2002, Isajan in 2003 — but never finished 1-2, coming in 1-3 in 2002 and 1-4 in 2003.
“It has a lot of that air to it; Karo and I never went 1-2 like everybody talked about, so for them to do it as a freshman and sophomore is great,” said Roberts, who had five qualifiers, but could only take four to the state meet.
“I’m excited to see what they can do the rest of their careers.”
Goodwin and Mauser have a long way to go if they want to reach the heights of Roberts — a star diver at Indiana — and Isajan, a four-time Atlantic 10 Diver of the Year and recent inductee into LaSalle University’s Athletic Hall of Fame, but their performance at state was a good start.
Despite a slow start, Goodwin led at the end of each round and piled up a total of 533.25 points to become the first diver from an Aurora school to win the state championship since Smoky Hill’s Doogie Cohen in 2008 and the first from Regis Jesuit since Sean Moore in 2007. Moore has gone on to win an NCAA national championship for Ohio State.
“It was a lot of fun; after two first not-great dives, I had a really good meet after that,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin, a member of the Mile High Dive Club, has a summer full of competition ahead, leading up to Summer Nationals in early August.
Mauser hit the board at a practice in the middle of the season, but didn’t miss any time, even competing in the Coaches Invitational — and finishing sixth, one spot behind Goodwin — with a splint on. He was thankful to be almost 100 percent before state and reached new heights with Goodwin pushing him, scoring 486.60 points.
“When you have Kyle come in as a freshman and dive like that, it makes everybody strive to be better,” Mauser said.
With junior Christopher Clayton finishing eighth with a score of 393.75, Regis Jesuit gained 48 points on the diving board alone, which helped contribute to a state championship winning total of 381 for the entire
Overland’s Jaime Corona — a nominee for 5A Diver of the Year — was 7th with a score of 395.85 points and Smoky Hill’s Chris Hartman (378.45) 11th in other Aurora results.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com
2012 CLASS 5A BOYS STATE DIVING
May 19, Edora Pool & Ice Center
1-meter (11 dives): 1. KYLE GOODWIN (REGIS JESUIT), 533.25 points; 2. MATT MAUSER (REGIS JESUIT), 486.60; 3. Alan LeBlang (Arapahoe), 478.55; 4. Trent Kindvall (Standley Lake), 419.50; 5. Andrew Hull (Denver East), 415.20; 6. Deon Ayala (Fort Collins), 402.95; 7. JAIME CORONA (OVERLAND), 395.85; 8. CHRISTOPHER CLAYTON (REGIS JESUIT), 393.75; 9. Markus Perry (Lewis-Palmer), 391.45; 10. Matt Jagiello (Chatfield), 383.60; 11. CHRIS HARTMAN (SMOKY HILL), 378.45; 12. Colton Hankins (Rocky Mountain), 377.20; 13. Evan Hull (Denver East), 374.45; 14. Jordan Purdham (Lewis-Palmer), 361.10; 15. Eben Bartholomew (Legacy), 346.60; 16. Shane Guerin (Pine Creek), 345.30
Taylor Roberts has my vote for 5A Diving Coach of the Year. Peace, Coach Kev