It all adds up for Waubonsie Valley's Eggenberger

For Taylor Eggenberger it was all in the mathematics.

After a so-so second dive in Friday's preliminary round at the state swimming and diving meet, the Waubonsie Valley sophomore and her coach Katie Williams figured out the numbers - the scores she'd have to get in order to get back up among the leaders.

And Eggenberger delivered, and after three more dives she joined the lead pack, finishing sixth and still in contention for the state diving championship in today's final three rounds.

"When her second dive came up a little weak, I think it threw her for a loop," Williams said. "It was a back one-and-a-half and she usually nails it. It shook her up, but she snapped right back into it. Taylor is a score-oriented person. I figured out the numbers and told her, 'These are the scores you have to hear from the judges.' And she did exactly that and then some. She took it above and beyond."

Eggenberger scored an amazing 45 points on her fourth dive and then a 50 on her fifth, which put her right back into the top six.

Eggenberger's score of 311.25 is only 5 points behind fifth place and 11 points behind Deerfield's Erin Purdy, who leads the field with a score of 326.50.

Hinsdale Central's Abby Grilli is second with 325.80. Lauren Mikulecky of Neuqua Valley goes into today's competition in 12th place with 275.50 points.

"We're all in the same ballpark," Eggenberger said "I'm hoping to nail all my dives tomorrow and move up into the top five."

Williams believes that Eggenberger is strong on the remaining dives and they all have a high degree of difficulty, which will help her score additional points.

Then what happened to throw her off early in the meet?

"It happens to me a lot," Eggenberger said. "I get nervous and I have to dig myself out of a hole. I've gotten used it. Now I know how to fix it. It feels really good to go into today in the top six, because of all my hard work. This is what I was hoping for."

"Taylor comes through under pressure better than any athlete I know," Williams said. "She calmed down and had fun. And when she has fun, she does well."

Metea Valley's Megan Sellers, who finished fourth in state last year in the butterfly, took fourth in that event in Friday's preliminary round.

Downers Grove North's Haley Sims finished second in both the 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly.

Alexis Spivak of Downers Grove South was fifth in the butterfly and Genna Heidkamp of Hinsdale Central was sixth.

York's Tori Larsen was fifth in the 50 freestyle.

Hinsdale Central also placed a pair of relays in the top six. The Red Devils (Kristen Worthington, Jennifer Coady, Meredith Sweeney and Sara Shaner) were fifth in the 400 freestyle relay and its 200 medley relay team (Sweeney, Lindsay Pavich, Heidkamp and Shaner) finished sixth.