https://www.ocregister.com/2019/04/30/capo-valley-diver-markie-hopkins-captures-tight-race-for-division-1-girls-title/

Capistrano Valley diver Markie Hopkins wins tight race for CIF-SS Division 1 girls title

Divers, from left, Markie Hopkins of Capo Valley, Alexandra Barnes of Santa Margarita, Brooke Earley of Aliso Niguel, Savannah Stocker of El Toro and Charlotte Bowen of Dana Hills put on an epic performance at the CIF-SS Division 1 girls championships Tuesday in Riverside. Hopkins won a duel that featured three girls within at least 9.7 points of her winning score of 582.10. (Photo by Dan Albano, Orange County Register/SCNG)

By DAN ALBANO | dalbano@scng.com | Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: April 30, 2019 at 6:56 pm | UPDATED: April 30, 2019 at 7:45 pm

RIVERSIDE – Perfect scores of 10.0 surfaced from beginning to end at the CIF-SS Division 1 girls diving championships Tuesday.

They were especially abundant after dives by Markie Hopkins of Capistrano Valley, Brooke Earley of Aliso Niguel, Alexandra Barnes of Santa Margarita and defending Division 1 and state champion Savannah Stocker of El Toro.

The foursome accounted for an astounding 23 scores of 10.0, leaving just one option at Riverside City College: compete.

“I liked that the scores were high and everyone was pushing each other to do their best,” Hopkins said.

Down to the very last dive.

The Northwestern-bound Hopkins scored five 8.0s in the 11th and final round on a difficult forward 1 1/2 somersault with two twists on the 3-meter springboard to edge Earley by 2.2 points to capture her second title in three seasons.

“That’s one of my favorite dives and one that I know I can hit,” said Hopkins, who trains with SoCal Divers at Fullerton College. “I knew (the other girls) were doing really well. I was really proud of them, so I was just tried to do my best. … They definitely put the pressure on.”

Hopkins, the most consistent diver Tuesday, finished with a score of 582.10 points to edge Earley, a sophomore, at 579.90.

Barnes, a junior, and Stocker, a senior bound for USC, weren’t far behind at 576.55 and 572.40, respectively. Fifth-place Charlotte Bowen of Dana Hills was close at 566.75.

Santa Margarita’s Nicholas Leavell, a former trampoline athlete, won the boys Division 1 boys title, a first for a boy at the school. The Michigan-bound senior scored a school-record 599.55 points to outdistance Hopkins’ sophomore brother, Cody, at 551.20.

“It was a good day for me,” said Leavell, who trains with the Mission Viejo Nadadores. “I was just trying to relax and just do what I’ve been doing at practice. Sometimes I get a little anxious but today I was just more relaxed.”

As a sophomore, Hopkins upset teammate and three-time defending champion Cami Hidalgo for the Division 1 crown. She entered Tuesday coming off regional titles on 1- and 3-meter last weekend in Mission Viejo.

She said she likely won’t dive in Saturday’s qualifier for the CIF State meet.