By kyle Goon

| The Salt Lake Tribune

Provo • Nathan Makarewicz saved his best for last.

The West junior’s final pair of dives wasn’t his most difficult, but his rotations were sharp, and his form was as good as it got at the high school state diving meet Thursday at BYU. Makarewicz beat out Jordan senior and rival Trayton Speth to win his third consecutive title.

At a glance

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State diving results

Boys

1. Nathan Makarewicz, West (496.95)

2. Trayton Speth, Jordan (428.25)

3. Mason Lunceford, Timpview (331.9)

4. Keaton Quinn, Park City (320.85)

5. Calvin Cook, Highland (306.25)

6. Clark Manwaring, Skyline (263.3)

Girls

1. Maci Winn, Highland (336.45)

2. Elena Thomas, Skyline (323.80)

3. Kaitlin Owens, Park City (296.05)

4. Alli Kooyman, Highland (293.2)

5. Savanna Goudie, Murray (292.9)

6. Aubrey Rhodes, Bear River (292.45)

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"I thought my dives at the beginning were good, and the ones at the end were good," he said. "The ones in the middle weren’t my best. But I tried not to pay attention to what Trayton was doing, and concentrate on my own dives."

Early on, Makarewicz showed his talent with a reverse two-and-a-half tuck dive that he executed nearly flawlessly. He wrapped up with a pair of one-and-a-half pike dives that earned high praise from the judges.

Speth didn’t go quietly, and overall his dives were higher difficulty. But shooting high didn’t wrap up well for Speth, who over-rotated on a three-and-a-half tuck dive. He also was slightly off on his own reverse two-and-a-half tuck, and it ended up costing him a few points.

Still, the BYU-bound senior had no regrets for trying dives no other competitor dared. He was also more successful on a one-and-a-half back flip with two and a half twists that drew enthusiastic cheers from all of his peers.

"I just wanted to have fun, and that’s what I did," Speth said. "I wanted to push myself and see what I could do."

In the girls’ competition, there would be no repeat champion. Highland junior Maci Winn managed to top defending champ Elena Thomas of Skyline in a fairly tight competition.

Her eighth-round two-and-a-half tuck dive helped vault her over the field, and her final one-and-a-half tuck was solid enough to solidify her standing. It was only the second year Winn has competed in diving, but she said her sixth-place finish last year helped her believe she could be on top of the podium.

"I worked harder than I ever have to get some of those harder dives in, and practiced a lot," she said. "Today’s competition was just my best ever. Honestly, we’re all so close, it’s about who has the better day, and I was just thinking clearly and felt great."

Thomas, a sophomore, also had a strong finish with a solid reverse somersault with one and a half twists. But it wasn’t quite enough to push past the hard-charging Winn. Park City’s Kaitlin Owens finished third, performing well on a two-and-a-half forward somersault.

Thomas didn’t begrudge Winn her victory.

"I’m a sophomore, so I don’t have to win this year," she said. "I’m happy for Maci — I think we all are. She just had a great day."

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon