FRESHMAN Sabrina Bunar finished second during the 1-meter diving competition with 462.55 points during the Girls’ Division 2 Swim and Dive Championships on Saturday, Feb. 14 at MIT. (Courtesy Photo)
By DAN TOMASELLO
BOSTON — Wow.
Freshman diving sensation Sabrina Bunar finished second during the 1-meter diving competition with 462.55 points during the Girls’ Division 2 Swim and Dive Championships on Saturday, Feb. 14 at MIT. Bunar’s second place finish is even more impressive considering she was sick with bronchitis.
“I am very proud of myself,” said Bunar. “I got sick a couple of days before states and I just wanted to go out and try my hardest. It didn’t matter where I finished, but I am really happy I placed second.”
Bunar, who finished fourth in the 1-meter diving competition during sectionals, said she didn’t know what to expect going into states. She said her approach was to “take everything by ear.”
“I set a goal for myself that I wanted to place in the top three,” said Bunar. “There are a lot of good divers there and I just wanted to do my best.”
Bunar said she enjoyed competing at the Girls’ Division 2 Swim and Dive Championships immensely.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Bunar. “It was very loud compared to other meets, which I liked because it reminded me of a USA Diving meet. I just took it dive by dive.”
Bunar said she enjoyed competing with the Pioneers over the course of the 2014-2015 season.
“It was a great year,” said Bunar. “I was new to high school diving and I have never been a part of team that was this supportive. Everyone always cheers each other on and I made a lot of new friends. It was great being part of the 200 freestyle relay team with Erika Glowik, Lindsey Barrett and Alyssa Stelman. It was just an awesome experience.”
With the high school swimming season drawn to a close, Bunar said she is going to switch gears and focus her attention on USA Diving. Bunar travels to Indiana once a month to train with USA Diving’s 14-15 age group. Bunar hopes to compete in the Summer Olympics in the future.
Bunar said spring is her “busiest season” and she is getting ready for USA Diving’s Synchronized Nationals. She said she has plans to meet and train with Duke University’s club team diver Kristen Hayden.
“I have to find a single partner,” said Bunar. “I was supposed to fly down and meet with Kristen and train with her (last weekend), but it got canceled because of the snow. We are trying to reschedule it.”
Additional competitors
Bunar wasn’t the only member of the Pioneers to compete in states.
Barrett competed in the 200 freestyle. Glowik also competed in the 1-meter diving competition.
