Pioneer's Nick Nemetz sets personal, pool record on way to regional diving title; 5 local divers advance

Posted on Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 10:12 p.m.

The applause seemed to grow louder each time Nick Nemetz rose from beneath the water.

Those in attendance at Tuesday's MHSAA Division 1 diving regional at Huron High School knew they were seeing something special from the Pioneer senior.

Nemetz finished with a personal-best and pool record 523.80 points on his way to winning a regional championship. Runner up William Price of Northville was more than 100 points behind (414.25).

Nemetz was one of five Washtenaw County divers to qualify for the Division 1 state finals, held Friday-Saturday at Oakland University. The top 12 at regionals advance.

"I think it was the best meet I've had in a long time," said Nemetz, who's previous personal-best score was a 489. "I crushed my high score by like 30 points, so that was really fun."

More Coverage at MLive.com: Rest of the Story | State Qualifiers