Gwinnett Daily Post

Staff Photo: Jonathan Phillips<br> Grayson's Darcie O'Brien dives during the county diving championships at the Mountain Park Aquatic Center on Wednesday.

By Christine Troyke

Staff Writer

christine.troyke@

gwinnettdailypost.com

STONE MOUNTAIN — For just the second time in the last eight years, it wasn’t a Duluth diver winning the girls county title.

And Darcie O’Brien’s 456.75 points broke the old county record, set by Duluth’s Lexie Bryant.

The Grayson senior duked it out with Parkview’s Tabitha Banks for first place. Banks also broke Bryant’s mark of 443.25 by .20 points to finish runner-up for the second straight year.

“It feels awesome,” said O’Brien, who only came in trying to break 400 points. “But everybody dove so well tonight.”

Virtually deadlocked after five dives, O’Brien began to pull away from Banks. The margin was a scant three points as they passed the halfway point.

“From that point on, I kept track (of the totals),” O’Brien said. “I was trying not to, but I couldn’t help it.”

O’Brien held on to win though as the two girls traded punches in the final two rounds.

“The second to last one, I did really well, but then afterward, I realized when I was sitting over there listening to my music that I could be the all-time county record holder,” O’Brien said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ And my last dive is my least favorite by far, so I was freaking out a bit.”

But she knew when she hit the water, it was good.

Peachtree Ridge’s Emily Yoder was third with 375.90 points. Brookwood’s Emma Weisel racked up 371.60 points to finish fourth, an impressive accomplishment for the junior who just picked up the sport about six months ago.

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