Picture this: Prospect's Liva dives to state title

Like many elite athletes, Prospect senior diver Dana Liva has some quirks.

One is that during the breaks in an 11-dive meet, it's important to her to be the first one back on the board to begin her practice dives.

Coach Antonino Bondi doesn't mind, saying it's just another sign of her dedication and attention to detail.

"She's so focused," he said. "Her competitiveness was never a drawback because it never conflicted with what she was trying to achieve."

When it counted most, in the state finals at Evanston on Saturday afternoon, Liva was first again.

After taking a significant lead through the first eight rounds Friday, Liva completed her run to a state championship with three more strong dives Saturday afternoon.

She finished with a score 464.50, enough to hold off an exceptional finish from defending champ Sydney Dusel of Naperville Central (456.60).

One key, Liva said, was reining in her emotions better than in previous state meets.

"I was definitely a little bit nervous today, but not as much as before," she said. "I felt like I did a better job with my breathing, and just staying calm."

That alone was a victory of sorts, as Liva had previously been close to the lead before suffering setbacks in front of a full finals crowd.

All three of her final dives Saturday were sound - inward dive (pike), reverse 1½, and back somersault with 1½ twists. None got a score lower than 5.5, with several 8's and 7.5's mixed in.

Again, staying relaxed was one key. Bondi said a unique form of art therapy - coloring pictures - helped Liva return to an optimal state of mind.

Call it quirky, but don't quibble with the results.

"I'd even color with her from time to time, to show her, 'Hey, this works, and it's OK,' " Bondi said. "If this gets us to the right place, we should do it."

And now diving is taking Liva to the place she chose, via athletic scholarship to Wisconsin. Bondi credits Liva's drive for excellence as the main reason.

"Every year there are a handful of top high school divers in Illinois," Bondi said. "The game is, who's prepared to really go after it? Dana was ready."

The outcome Saturday still seemed surprising to Liva long after it had been decided.

"I never even really thought it was possible," she said. "I just wanted to do the best I could, and that would be enough."

After finishing 12th as a freshman, sixth as a sophomore and fourth as a junior, Prospect's first diving state champion can add the most exclusive of numbers to her gallery of state finishes.

Dana Liva - first, at last.