Bishop McDevitt's Cayden McDonnell won his third straight District 3 Class 2A diving title, while Marina Eshelman rallied for bronze.
Published: Feb. 20, 2026, 11:22 p.m.Divers compete during the District 3 Class 2A diving championships in Dover's natatorium on Feb. 20, 2026. EVAN WHEATON | PENNLIVEDOVER — Cayden McDonnell earned a new nickname when he crossed the bulkhead at Dover for the final time.
The Bishop McDevitt ace was referred to as the “triple threat” in front of spectators inside the natatorium. It’s certainly fitting, given McDonnell, no stranger to championship moments, seized his third consecutive District 3 Class 2A diving title on Friday., he followed up in the second leg of his final postseason with a best-in-show 425.80 points for his latest crown. “I was obviously really hoping I’d get that third one,” McDonnell said. “I want some extra bling for the graduation walk. I’m really happy about it.” McDonnell paced first place throughout, kicking off the meet with a 36.55-point forward one-and-a-half somersault pike. His fifth and final dive of the preliminaries sent Crusaders faithful into a thrill, landing a 52.80-point inward one-and-a-half somersault pike — the highest single point total for a dive in the District 3 2A championships.“That dive had actually been pretty inconsistent for me for the past couple practices, even during some meets, so I’m super happy I nailed that when I was down a little bit in the first four ,” McDonnell said. “It boosted my confidence, helped me out.”Adversity struck early for Bishop McDevitt’s Marina Eshelman. She’d entered the weekend with high hopes as theThe chance to repeat slipped away when her second attempt resulted in a failed dive. On her way back to the bleachers, she spoke with Crusaders coach John Ricci on the pool deck. He told her that she’d become just the second diver under his watch to qualify for the PIAA 2A meet after a failed dive. The first was former standout Leigh Waltz, who went on to dive for Pitt.“Honestly, I wasn’t really upset that I messed up. I kind of just got back up and kept going because I knew I could still come back from that,” Eshelman said. “I just tried to have fun and stay positive.” That’s exactly what she did. Eshelman still finished 2 points out from third place through the preliminaries, then slingshot her way into bronze and held firm the rest of the way behind 301.05 points. “It’s really exciting, I’m really happy to have this second chance to come back and do well,” Eshelman said. Now, for the second straight year, McDonnell and Eshelman will take the voyage to Lewisburg together to rep Bishop McDevitt in Kinney Natatorium.Eshelman added, “I’m really excited. I’m really glad I was able to make it so I can go and cheer him on and just be there and compete.”For a dynasty that’s captured the last nine District 3 2A girls team titles, Schuylkill Valley got an early boost in its efforts for a 10th straight banner. Charlotte Schwendeman and Carly Crills were a one-two punch on the podium. Schwendeman was crowned District 3 2A champion with 403.55 points. Crills swiped silver with 378.60 points. The duo locked up a pair of PIAA 2A diving berths for the Panthers, and will look to compete for more hardware at Bucknell.All three PIAA 2A berths for the boys were swept by Mid-Penn divers, starting with McDonnell’s gold-worthy performance. Boiling Springs’ Preston Kuhn followed him up with silver at 393.60 points, and Big Spring’s Dylan Madorsky landed bronze with 321.45 points. Below are the final results of the District 3 2A diving championships. The top eight place-winners received medals. The top three finishers clinched PIAA 2A berths.3. Dylan Madorsky, Big Spring — 321.456. Preston Ilgenfritz, York Suburban — 296.459. Gehret Gentzyel, York Suburban — 241.2512. Christian Hendrix, Schuylkill Valley — 200.002. Carly Crills, Schuylkill Valley — 378.605. Josee Walley, Big Spring — 255.008. Grace Cunningham, Milton Hershey — 208.10
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