Whiz Kid of the Week: A Distinguished Diver

's JT Perryman qualified for the PIAA Championships on March 19 at Bucknell University.

Perryman made the cut by finishing in fourth place in the WPIAL Boys AAA Diving Championship held at on Saturday.

"I wanted to do better," Perryman said. Being his own toughest critic, he had hoped to finish in at least third place.

Perryman's diving performance will help Upper St. Clair swim and dive team's quest to win this year's WPIAL Swimming and Diving Championship. The swimming portion of the competition begins Thursday, March 3 at the University of Pittsburgh.

Perryman and his diving coach hope his fourth place finish will be enough to push Upper St. Clair ahead.

"The point differential between third and fourth (place) isn't a great one," USC diving coach Dr. Natalie Russo said.

Perryman, a senior, plans on using his experience to help improve on his 16th place finish in the PIAA Championship last year. He is shooting for a top ten finish this year.

"I'm more excited this year. I won't be as nervous, I'll be ready to dive," said the gifted athlete, who believes his background in gymnastics helped him become the diver he is today.

Perryman began diving in fifth grade when his parents joined the . Seven years later, all his hard work paid off. Perryman now travels to the University of Pittsburgh four times a week where he is a member of the Pitt Aquatic Club diving team.

"It comes down to focus, you have to have tunnel vision," Perryman said.

You can practice as long as you want but the only dives that really matter are the ones that are judged. That's why Perryman practices as if it were competition. He said it's the best way to prepare for those pressure dives.

"In order to get ready for states, we're working on the required dives," coach Dr. Russo said.

Those are the dives all the competitors perform. Then there are the dives each individual chooses with his or her own difficulty level. This year, Perryman will bring a much higher level of difficulty to his diving, which should help him finish higher in the PIAA Championship. However, it is the required dives that can set divers apart in a close competition. Perryman and his coach want him to nail those dives this year.

As Perryman's high school career comes to an end, he looks forward to a bright future. He is interested in studying biology, and a handful of schools are interested in his diving skills. The lure of a Division 1 school has Alabama and Michigan State getting his attention, but he has not ruled out Univers.

USC divers and swimmers do not practice together during the year, however they work together during meets to accumulate as many points as they can. No doubt Perryman will be seen cheering on his teammates at Pitt Thursday and Friday as USC reaches for the stars, and hopes to bring a WPIAL championship banner back to Upper St. Clair High School.