Freedom sophomore Hayden Taylor was crowned District XI Class 3A diving champion on Feb. 24 at Emmaus High School, the only diver to break a score of 400 and clinch first place by a comfortable 56 points out of 14 female competitors.

“It’s just amazing, seeing all my hard work pay off, and I had really good competitors behind me, keeping me pushing,” Taylor said. “It really means a lot.”

Taylor’s first of 11 dives was an inward dive pike, and her last was a reverse dive pike on which she scored 38.25.

Northampton’s Isabella Kish, who won the silver medal with a score of 345.70, will join Taylor, whose score was 402.50, at the PIAA State Diving Championships in March.

Parkland’s Johanna Cook placed third with a score of 334.95, and teammate Sam Schultz placed fourth with a score of 334.05.

On the boys side, Parkland’s Bradley Kunz won gold with a score of 370.10 and Freedom sophomore Cody Smith was awarded the silver medal at the District XI Class 3A Diving Championships with a score of 368.55 on Feb. 24 at Emmaus High School.

Northampton’s Alex Szeplaki placed third with a score of 353.90, and teammate and brother Andrew Szeplaki placed fourth with a score of 346.80.