By Ben Stroup
Olentangy Liberty senior Cameron Thatcher, a heavy favorite to win his second straight Division I state diving championship, did just that Thursday inside Canton’s C.T. Branin Natatorium.
And he did it in record-breaking fashion.
Thatcher, a Stanford signee, dissolved almost all of the drama early, all but locking up the title about halfway through his afternoon.
Already the proud owner of a pretty comfortable cushion through five solid dives, Thatcher earned six scores of 9.0 and one perfect 10 on his sixth. He also nabbed a perfect mark on his 10th attempt.
Thatcher scored 64.50 points on his final dive to give him a total score of 633.80 — a mark surpassing the tournament and pool records he secured last year.
Lyle Yost, a freshman from Shaker Heights, garnered runner-up honors with a score of 555.80 while Toledo St. Francis DeSales senior Jecorlin Frazier smoothed out the top three with a score of 527.55.
Olentangy Orange freshman Luke Cheetham and Big Walnut junior Nick Dimitroff were also in action. Cheetham closed in the top half of the field of 24, finishing 12th with a score of 412.80. Dimitroff, meanwhile, finished 22nd with an effort of 164.20 in the preliminary round.
The girls’ Division I state diving championship, which will feature Orange freshman Lauren Cheetham and Liberty sophomore Morgan Menninger, is slated for Saturday. Cheetham and Menninger enter as the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively.
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Follow Ben Stroup on Twitter @delgazette_ben.
