Fay, Broz reflect on podium finishes at Class 4A state diving

Stepping onto the springboard Tuesday night for her final dive, Niwot’s Izzy Fay was wracked with nerves. With a win so close, she did not want to disappoint all the people around her who believed in her throughout her journey to this exact moment.

But Fay spent the months leading up to the Class 4A state championships preparing for this, and she felt ready.

“I was a little nervous, which is probably a given, but then warmup went off without a hitch,” Fay explained. “Perfecting the minor details was a big thing for me, because I do consider myself a perfectionist.”

Her months of preparation paid off, as she dove into the water for her final time of the 2023-24 season and walked home from the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center with a first-place standing, earning a score of 538.30 points. With the win, Fay found herself shocked, and excited.

“It was definitely in my head that I could possibly win,” Fay said. “It wasn’t something I really knew I could do in a way, though, just because I wasn’t very confident in myself the way other people were in me.”

Her state title marks a second year of placing on the podium for Fay, who finished third in last year’s 4A state meet with a score of 467.80. Her 538.30 this time is the third-highest in 4A classification history and an all-time personal best.

“I think (winning) definitely has grown my confidence, which is really cool to see,” Fay said. “My coach Erin (Lionberger) definitely helped me out a lot throughout my season. I really could not have done it without her.”

Silver Creek’s Leslie Broz also placed on the podium, earning herself an impressive third-place bronze behind Fay and Windsor’s Reagan Annable. For her, the experience wasn’t just highs, though. As a senior, this was Broz’s final season diving.

“It was really bittersweet,” Broz said. “Multiple teammates asked me how I felt when I did my last dive and I just said I didn’t know how to feel. It’s a big thing to end something you’ve done for three years.”

For Broz, diving has been an important chapter in her high school career, one that has helped shape her into the person she is today.

“I’ve matured a lot through diving, so it’s strange that it’s over now, but I also feel really proud of myself,” Broz said. “I was able to accomplish a lot when I hadn’t even done club diving, which was a super big deal.”

Broz finished with a score of 483.10, considerably higher than the 469.75 score she earned at last year’s meet, where she finished second.