North Atlanta diving is reaching all time highs thanks to the success of junior Drew Sheldon and senior Farley Tranakos. For both divers, the year 2017 was filled broken personal, school and APS records. After historic seasons, the Warriors capped off the 2017-2018 season with appearances in the state championship meet at Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, lasting from Feb. 1 until Feb. 3.

Drew Sheldon: 6A State Champion

The year 2017 was one for the record books for junior Drew Sheldon, as he broke his personal best record for highest score on 11 dives and the North Atlanta High School male diving record. To go along with these achievements, not only did Sheldon placed first in the GHSA state championship meet for the 6A division, but he was the first diver in APS history to win the 6A state championship. In addition, he placed eighth overall in the entire state at the meet. “With everything I’ve done this year, I would say it was my best season so far,” Sheldon said.

Ever since he was 8 years old, Sheldon has had a knack for diving. After attending his summer league at Brookwood Hills and watching his brothers partake in their swim and dive meets, he fell in love with the sport and began practicing. Nine  years later, Sheldon now owns the title of champion. “Being a state champion means a lot to me because it just shows how all the long nights and hard work I have put in has paid off,” he said.

However, the road doesn’t end here for him. Sheldon is hoping on an even better season in 2018. In order to accomplish this, he plans on working harder and longer this offseason, as well as focusing even more on improving everyday. In addition, he has learned a lot from his experiences this year, and hopes he can reflect on this and use it in the future. “This season has taught me that anything can happen in a competition and to not back down from any challenge,” Sheldon said.

Farley Tranakos: First APS Female State Diver

Senior diver Farley Tranakos had a season to remember in 2017, as she qualified for the 2017 GHSA state championship meet in her rookie season as a diver. Unlike Sheldon, Tranakos, a former member of the swim team, only began diving following her 2016 swim season. During the Brookwood Hills summer league, Tranakos began diving for fun, but as she began to get into it, she had Sheldon coach her up. “Seeing her qualify this year was better than whenever I first qualified and it was the best feeling ever,” Sheldon said.

Not only did she have success in her first season, but she also became the first female diver ever in APS history to qualify for the state championship meet. Following her last dive at the the last meet of the season for the Warriors, the news broke that Tranakos had qualified for state. “I was so excited because I had worked so hard to make the meet,” Tranakos said.

The 2017 season was a huge success for warrior divers Drew Sheldon and Farley Tranakos. The Warriors saw many of their own personal records and school records were broken, and both etched their names into the APS record books. Overall, this season proved that Sheldon and Tranakos can dive with many of Georgia’s top talents.