Manhasset girls diving's Victoria Wang wins her second Nassau 1-meter title

Manhasset’s Victoria   Wang hasn’t been on the 1-meter diving board since 2022. After taking her sophomore year off, the junior is back for the 2024 season like she never left.

Wang won the Nassau 1-Meter Diving Championships with a score of 563.70 at the Nassau Aquatic Center on Wednesday night.

“Last year, I went to Winter National Championships, so I had to focus on my 3-meter diving,” Wang said. “But, I’m so glad to be back competing here.

Even though she won the county title in 2022, Manhasset coach Matt McGrane said it was an adjustment to get her back into the 1-meter dive.

“Even though it sounds like it would be similar, the dives for the 3-meter and the 1-meter are completely different,” he said. “When she came back this season, you could tell she was a little rusty.”

Last month, Wang committed to Harvard University, where she will continue her diving career.

“I’m so excited,” Wang said. “I love the team, I love the campus, it just felt like I belong.”

It was a great meet for Manhasset. Freshman teammate Adeline Chen finished second, trailing Wang with a score of 462.45 points.

“I’m so happy,” Chen said. “I struggled a little in the division championships, so I’m proud that all of my dives went smoothly today.”

“I’m so incredibly proud of them,” McGrane said. “We have no pool at our school, no diving board, so it takes an extra effort to be the two best divers in Nassau County.”

Both Wang and Chen had already qualified for the state championship earlier in the season, and Wang looks forward to returning to Webster at the end of November.

Wang was the New York State 1-meter diving runner-up in 2021, and she finished third in the state in 2022. This year, she’s hoping to take the crown.

“I definitely want to do my best this year,” Wang said. “I want to get all of my dives and just improve on them from years before.”

Farmingdale freshman Avery Schuhmacher finished third with 446.20 — a score that qualified her for the state championship — the first time in her three years competing at the varsity level.

“I’m really proud of how I did on my last couple of dives today,” Schumacher said. “I’m so excited to be heading to the state championship for the first time, and I’m hoping to just hit as many dives as possible.”

Wang, Chen, and Schuhmacher will each represent Nassau at the NYPHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving Championships in Webster on Nov. 22.