Piepho, Snow dive head-first into state

After taking third place at the Section 1AA diving meet last Saturday in Lakeville, Owatonna senior Cole Piepho became a two-time state qualifier for the Huskies.

A feat already difficult enough for any high school athlete in any sport, Piepho’s achievement is made all the more exciting because he has only been diving for two years now.

“I decided to run cross-country out of the blue last year and made friends with Henry Hilgendorf. When the season ended, he asked me if I played a winter sport and I said, ‘No.’ He convinced me to join the diving team, and well… here we are,” said Piepho.

According to the senior, his early days in diving were nothing short of difficult.

From learning new techniques to practicing challenging and unforgiving new dives – Piepho’s least favorite part of training – he knew that diving was going to be a grind.

“I was really bad when I first started. I’m going to be honest; I have no idea what happened to make things click. We had three divers my first year – me, [Henry] Hilgendorf, and Ethan Peterson – and I was by far the worst up until sections. Then I learned the front 2.5 in tuck and that was what got me to state.”

According to Piepho, a crucial part of his rise to the top of the section leaderboards has been coaching.

Helping guide Piepho back to the state tournament and improve from a fourth-place to a third-place finish in sections this year has been head diving coach Chris Snow.

After coming on as a part-time volunteer coach a season ago, Snow has assumed head coaching responsibilities for the boys dive team and is adapting to life in his new role.

“It’s definitely a lot more work than I was expecting,” said Snow. “It’s a whole lot easier being the diver, but it’s a great experience to be able to watch the growth of the athletes firsthand.”

A former state competitor himself, Snow has vast knowledge of the sport, having grown up in swim and dive, and he is already seeing improvements in his senior phenomenon’s game during just the second year of Piepho’s newly minted career.

“I’ve seen dramatic improvements from last year to this year. He’s an extremely talented kid, and just so mentally tough and physically ready. Last year, he was so new that there really weren’t many expectations for the state meet. Now we’re going into it way more prepared.”

Outside of honing his craft in off-season workouts and camps, Piepho said that he is prepared to bring out some new, big-time dives to the season’s biggest stage.

“I’ve been practicing some dives that could score me up to 50 points if I execute them well. The goal is to hit them early to get through the initial cuts and set myself up for a run to the top,” said Piepho.

The senior remained humble, saying that he does not plan to just go out and win but has a clear-cut goal to take top five in the standings.

However, more will be on the line than just the state podium.

Piepho knows that college coaches will attend the state meet, and he hopes to make a good impression, as he would like to continue diving at the collegiate level.

A top-five finish may earn him just that, he said.

Those looking to follow Piepho and Snow’s run to the top can watch the duo in the Minnesota State High School League state meet at Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis on Thursday, March 2 at 12 p.m.