Hall completes quest for 4th straight east regional diving title

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 4, 2014 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

RALEIGH -- The skyline came into view and the butterflies started swimming in Devin Hall's stomach.

"This is it," thought Hall as he headed toward the Pullen Aquatic Center.

The facility came into view and Hall could barely contain his nervousness. But once the fresh scent of chlorine filled his nose and he dove into the crystal clear water for the warm-up session, it became just another routine meet.

But this one had more meaning.

Hall -- again -- etched his name into the Charles B. Aycock and Wayne County history books on Monday afternoon. The senior compiled 368.75 points and seized his fourth consecutive 1-meter diving championship during the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A eastern regionals.

Eastern Wayne senior Willie Smith grabbed runner-up accolades with 282.35 points, while Chapel Hill senior James Willingham placed third among the eight competitors. All three will return to the PAC on Friday afternoon to determine the 3-A state champion.

"I can't explain in words," Hall said. "Honestly, it's surreal ... hard to grasp the fact that I've been perfect at the regionals all four years. I really would like to have done that for states but (last year's runner-up finish) helped me improve a lot for this year."

Hall stretched and relaxed.

Once the 11-dive competition began, Hall's confidence showed through his ability. He scored an eight on his very first dive -- a forward pike. Later in the meet, he earned an 8.5 from one judge and his self belief continued to blossom.

A hiccup on his fifth dive -- a forward 1 1/2 with a half-twist -- caused some concern. Hall encountered trouble at the same point in last year's regional.

"I fell off a little bit after my fifth dive," Hall said. "I never picked back up to the level I wanted to dive at, but I did end up finishing pretty strong. It was a competitive meet ... fun, we were all relaxed.

"The main person I was worried about was James. He really struggled tonight, didn't have as good as a meet as he would have liked to."