Star diver Ainsley Wade hasn’t been up on the one-meter and three-meter springboards much at all this season. She only competed in the first meet of the season before taking time off.
A roadblock appeared in the middle of the season. A concussion put Wade out of commission for the near future — her once-clear vision of the path back to the podium grew increasingly fuzzy.
The third-place finisher in the 2025 3-meter diving event was determined to make a run back to the top, but the concussion disrupted those plans. Although Wade missed a majority of the season, she returned in due time to deliver a state-clinching performance at the NorCal Regional State Qualifiers.
At LPC’s NorCal Regional State Qualifier on April 11, the Hawks dive team turned a high-pressure, three-conference meet into a statement performance, qualifying three athletes for the State Championships. The championships will take place April 29 to May 2 at Orange Coast College.
After weeks out and limited time to prepare, Wade placed third on both the 1- and 3-meter, anchoring a group effort that pushed Wade, freshman Jayden Helm and NorCal champion freshman Laina Stifter through a field of 34 competitors. Each one competed for just eight qualifying spots, reinforcing the program’s depth at a pivotal point in the season.
SPLASH DOWN Ainsley Wade breaches the water surface and gracefully braces for impact at the NorCal Regional Diving Qualifier on Apr. 11 at LPC. Wade placed 3rd on 1-meter and 3-meter dive events. (Photo by Eric Liang/ The Express)
This meet wasn’t just a state-qualifying performance by three top divers in the women’s program, but a display of resilience and growth within the program. Wade and Sophomore Sarah Dorn both made waves at last year’s state championship. But now that Dorn is moving on and Wade is a sophomore, Wade will have two freshman divers making the trip to Costa Mesa to compete alongside her for postseason awards.
Wade, a two-sport athlete, is just as much of a leader in the pool as she is on the volleyball court in the fall. She leads by example beyond her stats, inspiring and advising the teammates around her.
Wade, Stifter and Helm consistently find themselves placing within the top three in diving events, in large part due to Wade’s ability to make a positive impact even if she isn’t competing. According to head diving coach Monte Young, Wade strikes fear into opponents, even with limited time in the pool due to injury.
“She’s always been able to take a break or hardly practice and be able to get her dives back real quick,” Young said. “The other girls are already scared of her. They’ve gone against her before.”
Wade competed among the best during her freshman and sophomore years, but in her absence, the two freshmen have risen to the occasion to fill her place — showing how deep the women’s dive team is. It’s a positive outlook on the state championships and beyond.
Wade and Stifter, both Livermore natives and Granada High School graduates, are both under Young’s training in his club: the Tri Valley Divers.
“She lit that spark in me,” Stifter said.
Stifter dived throughout her freshman year and is now putting herself in elite company. At the NorCal Regional State Qualifier on April 11, with heavy wind and rain near the end of the meet, Stifter placed first in the 1-meter dive and second in the 3-meter dive, with Wade right behind in third place in both events.
Helm was the third diver to qualify for the team, taking seventh in the 3-meter and ninth in the 1-meter, earning herself a ticket to the State Championship.
Stifter placed first in both events at the conference, making her the conference champion — a feat Wade achieved in 2025.
“(Stifter) works really hard,” Young said. “She’s diving against everybody who’s been diving for two years in junior college. She’s gotta believe in herself a bit more, but she’s beating these girls.”
Both Wade and Stifter are primed and ready to compete at the Coast Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, in which Las Positas’ program will enter the meet leading with a total of 471 in-season points. Not far behind is DeAnza with 465 points and the City College of San Francisco with 371 points.
The Hawks have a handful of swimmers up on the board to start diving, including Andrew Baker and Maggie Wilmot. Both are freshman swimmers with extensive resumes. Baker is one of the men’s team’s better backstroke swimmers, but decided to give it a try up on the board.
Baker placed 10th on the 3-meter, narrowly missing out on a chance to qualify. Wilmot dove for only three consecutive days before the event. Although she wasn’t near the top of the standings, it was an impressive effort for someone brand new to an entirely different sport.
“Any diver I get, I find out if they have a fear factor first by doing a couple of drills,” Young said.
Young receives new divers — often former gymnasts or converted swimmers — and the first order of business is to work on dry-land drills. Dry-land drills are important for working on mechanics, building confidence and practicing body control, all within a pressure-free environment.
Both Young and head coach Jason Craighead emphasize racing in new events or trying new dives, whether a swimmer is struggling to find their way to the top of the standings or is a top performer. Helm is one of the Hawks’ top swimmers in a litany of events, but still gathers the courage to step onto the board for a competition she is unfamiliar with.
“For me, it’s not about championship stuff,” Young said. “It’s just to get every kid to reach their potential.”
That’s been a big goal for the swimming department as of late: push their swimmers to new, uncomfortable limits that create more prepared, well-rounded swimmers. Coaches Young and Craighead know what they will get out of Wade, but the jury is still out on whether Stifter and Helm can perform just as well.
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TOP PHOTO: Dive coach Monte Young, here at the LPC Aquatics Center on April 11, is sending three divers to the state championships. (Photo by Eric Liang/ The Express)
Carson Pfotenhauer is a staff writer for The Express. Follow him on Instagram @cjpfotie.
