CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The UIL 5A boys Region VIII Diving meet ended on Friday with two King athletes advancing to State for the first time in a while, Anthony Perez and Noah Westbrook.
Senior diver Anthony Perez finished third, and is going back to State for the first time since his sophomore year. He was unable to advance last season due to medical issues, but his goal was to return. Perez is thankful to see King diving's growth over the years.
"We really grew from having no divers at all to having a really outstanding trio," Perez said. "I'm glad at least a two of the trio is going to State."
Noah Westbrook finished second totaling 344.9 points on 11 dives. The junior is making his second straight State appearance.
"Yeah I was pushing through it," Westbrook said. "I had a bad start, but I had some good dives at the end and it just made up for it."
The UIL 5A Region girls champion went to Jessica Hobbs. The junior ended her 11 dives with a total score of 388.7, qualifying for her third straight trip to State. Hobbs has put Flour Bluff back on the map for diving, breaking the school record on the 1 meter springboard her sophomore year. Now her goal is to win her first State medal.
“Yeah I really like twisters, so my front and back twisters are my best dives," Hobbs said. "It means a lot. It’s good to get diving out there because the swim team is really good, but it’s also good to be good at diving. I’m glad to continue that.”
