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By Marty Stewart

Published: Wednesday, February 27, 2013, 5:36 p.m.
Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Fox Chapel Area High School diver Miranda Simon has had quite a year so far, with more yet to come.

Earlier this season, she became the first female Fox Chapel diver to top the 200-point mark since 1998. And this past weekend, she finished fourth at the WPIAL Class AAA diving championships.

Her finish qualified her for the PIAA championships on March 14 and 15 at Bucknell University.

“I was really happy with the way things turned out,” Simon said.

“Fox Chapel hasn't qualified many divers for states and now Emily (Eames) and I will be going. JB Kolod was the last Fox Chapel diver to go. He sent me a Facebook message before the WPIALs wishing me well.”

In Miranda's case, success in the pool runs in the family. Her father and her uncles were outstanding high school swimmers and Miranda got started at an early age.

“When I was in fourth grade, I went to developmental classes at Pitt and I just stuck with diving,” Simon said. “The coaches there have been great and so has Coach (Vernon) Yenick here at Fox Chapel.”

She even did some recruiting for Yenick.

“Emily lives right across the street from me and when she moved here from Boston, I got her interested in diving,” she said. “It's going to be great going to states with her.”

Yenick is glad to have someone like Simon on the team.

“She's been such an asset to the team, winning most dual meets this year and really coming on strong at the end of the season for the championships. Miranda is poised to have very strong high school diving performances before her graduation in 2015,” Yenick said.

Diving is a year-round sport for Simon. She has been to many meets during the spring and summer.

“I really don't take any time off. I've been to meets in New York and New Jersey. I expect that I'll be seeing a lot of other states in the future,” Simon said.

Yenick expects Simon to begin drawing much attention from colleges soon.

“With what she's accomplished so far, I'm sure she's on the radar of a lot of colleges,” Yenick said. “And her best is yet to come.”

Simon is hoping that her best will be good enough for some gold at Bucknell.

“I was a little bit nervous before the WPIAL championships. I was well-prepared, though, and just went out and did what I've been trained to do. I'm confident that I won't let the pressure get to me at states. I'm just going to do my best and have some fun,” Simon said.

Marty Stewart is a sports editor for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-782-2123 or mstewart@tribweb.com.

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