Celina's Cubberley will dive at ONU

CELINA - Having chiseled his name into the legacy of the Celina High School diving program, Holden Cubberley is looking to do the same on the next level.

The three-time Western Buckeye League champion and All-Ohio honoree will dive at Ohio Northern University next season for the Polar Bears.

"When I visited their campus, I enjoyed everything about it," said Cubberley. "It felt home-like. Their art studio felt like my comfort zone. The coaches and the people on the team treated me with extreme respect and like a teammate who has been there for a long time. I felt at home."

Cubberley will look to pursue art and design when he matriculates to Ada this fall.

"I'm looking into graphic or industrial design," said Cubberley. "I'd like to do product design and logos. Basically in that art field."

The ONU men finished third overall at the Ohio Athletic Conference championships held in Geneva, Ohio, in late March. Freshman Evan Sailor finished third in both the 1-meter and 3-meter competition.

While the Bulldogs have had exceptional divers that have had success in the WBL and at state over the years, Cubberley has been the most dominant.

Cubberley won his third straight WBL title in February and earned his fourth straight trip to Canton and the state meet several weeks later.

At the state championships at Branin Natatorium, Cubberley worked his way up the ladder. After finishing 18th as a freshman, Cubberley earned a spot on the podium as a sophomore in placing eighth. His junior season, Cubberley matched the school record for highest finish for a Celina diver in taking third, matching former Bulldog Collen Byer's 2011 finish.

Cubberley saved the best for last in his senior season. The competition became a two-man battle between Cubberley and Hawken's Angus Williams. In the end, Williams took the gold medal with 483 points while Cubberley, who the week before set the school record for points with 470.55, finished with 436.80 points as state runner-up, the highest-ever finish for a Celina diver.

"I loved diving here," said Cubberley said of Celina. "I loved being with my coach (Dave Koesters) and my teammates along the way. I just thing I'd like to be a score on that leaderboard that people can look up to and say as I did, 'I want to get that score,' and they motivate themselves to be even better than I was. I want to see Celina grow even more and as I continue, I want to continue to grow from where I am now."