Senior Tynan O’Donoghue and sophomore Kaarina Williams of Walt Whitman High School both struck gold at the 2024 Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) State Diving Championships.
Whitman is just the fourth school to sweep the boys and girls titles in one year since diving became an official MPSSAA sport in 2012.
For accomplishing such a rare feat, O’Donoghue and Williams are Montgomery County’s first-ever co-Athletes of the Week.
Each week throughout the school year, the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame is partnering with Montgomery Community Media to honor an Athlete of the Week from the county’s more than 40 public and private high schools.
O’Donoghue (left) and Williams celebrate 1st place finishes at the 2024 MPSSAA State Diving Championships at the University of Maryland, Feb. 23, 2024. Courtesy of Theresa Vaghi.
“It’s very special. They both work really hard and they both deserve it,” head coach Theresa Vaghi told MCM. “It’s so fun to see how far they can push themselves and then succeed.”
Courtesy of Coach Theresa Vaghi.
O’Donoghue finished with a score of 488.20, almost 40 points above 2nd place. The girls podium was tighter, with less than seven points separating Williams’s 395.95 from the silver medal.
Whitman also took bronze in both classifications. Coach Vaghi was not surprised that four of the top six divers in the state were Vikings.
“Any one of them would be a top diver at another school,” Vaghi said. “We can always count on a lead going into the swim portion of meets because dive is always first.”
O’Donoghue is committed to dive for Duke University. As for Williams, Vaghi is excited to see what’s in store for the next two years.
“She’s got a great, great work ethic and she’s always willing to try more,” Vaghi said. “Just keep working hard, keep practicing and doing what she does.”
