DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
The Bellmont Braves will be represented once again at the IHSAA Finals at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis as junior Logan Whitacre takes to the diving board Saturday with the state’s best divers.
Breaking a drought of nearly two decades, Whitacre returns a proud Bellmont diving program to the state stage.
The junior surprised himself and his coach with a fourth-place finish at Tuesday’s regional at the Helen P. Brown, with the top eight set to advance. He joins neighboring Damon Light from Adams Central as the Adams County contingent at this year’s state meet.
“Logan’s 4th-place finish at the regional level was a fantastic achievement,” notes long-time head coach Drew Norby, “that exceeded even our own high expectations. While we were confident he would qualify for state in the 6th or maybe 7th position, seeing him climb to fourth was a well-deserved reward for his dedication.”
Whitacre captured his third NE8 title earlier this year and Norby notes that everything he’s done in his career has been building up to this berth at the state meet.
Logan has competed as a varsity cross country and track athlete throughout his high school career, as well as playing a big role as a freestyle swimmer individually and on Bellmont’s relay teams.
“Logan’s success is no accident; it is the result of a grueling schedule,” says Norby. “Nearly every week, he commits to six days of practice, often pulling double duty. He joins the team for morning swim sets—where he remains one of our top performers—before returning in the evening to perfect his craft on the diving boards.”
That kind of work ethic has not gone unnoticed by Norby and his assistants.
“With his natural talent and relentless work ethic, Logan has everything it takes to compete with the best in the state. We are incredibly proud of his journey and look forward to seeing him cap off this historic season.”
Diving preliminaries do not start until Saturday morning at 9 a.m., after the Friday night swimming prelims. 20 divers will advance from 32 preliminary after five dives. Those 20 will dive three more times and be cut down to 16 finalists. Each finalist will complete three more dives for the total of 11.
Last year’s record-setting state champion Grant Cates of Oak Hill has graduated, leaving the door open for a new state champion this season in Indiana.
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