Ashley Lewis is looking for the nerve to execute her last dive of the day, less than 24 hours from her first state tournament.

She bounds to the front of the board and backs off. This happens twice before she bales from the board, making a simple 1-meter dive into the water.

“She wasn’t confident,” says her diving coach, Joseph Brace. “It’s a mentally challenging sport.”

Minutes later, Lewis steps back onto the board and, after another stutter, completes a reverse dive with only moderate splash.

The former gymnast exits the pool and explains the sometimes-intimidating process of performing reverse dives on a competitive level. It’s a process that used to scare her, but now brings her back to the aspect she loves most about these acrobatic sports.

“It’s my chance to fly again,” Lewis says.

Lewis flew even stronger than she’d expected during the 11 dive SPSL 4A state diving tournament Nov. 14-15, finishing 11th overall.

The water loving athletes from Kentlake also made the state final round of 16, with Lizzy Reichlinger and Katie Beliveau finishing, 10th and 14th, respectively, out of the top 24 divers.

Reichlinger, a senior, who matched her 10th place finish from 2013, developed some higher degree of difficulty dives this season, which allowed her to compete at a more advanced level, Brace said. Reichlinger broke the school records for six- and 11-dive meets during the season.

Though the former gymnast didn’t quite reach her goals at state, she said in a phone interview Tuesday that she was quite happy with her overall career.

“This was a great way to almost finish my gymnastics career and go into diving all in one,” she said. “I think I’ll look back on it as an amazing experience.”

Despite her aptitude for minimizing splashes, Reichlinger plans to pursue a different athletic love in college.

“If I get the opportunity to dive in college I might, but right now I’m planning on pole vaulting,” she said.

Brace said Beliveau, a sophomore, has the talent to someday finish among the state’s top three divers.

“As she matures she will be fantastic,” Brace wrote. “She sets high expectations for herself and is driven. With the right environment for club diving and high school I feel Katie has a very promising future in the sport.”