BUTLER TWP — Ken Bedford and his diving skills are rubbing off on his students.

The sixth-year Butler coach, who is a former national championship diver, has qualified four divers for the WPIAL meet Feb. 25 at Pine-Richland High School.

Senior Jessica Schnur is ranked No. 1 among female divers in the WPIAL with a score of 265.50, including an 11.8 degree of difficulty. Girls must score 170 with a 9.5 degree of difficulty to qualify for the WPIAL meet.

"Everything I've done I owe to Coach Bedford," Schnur said. "My freshman year here was the first time I ever stepped foot on a diving board.

"He's taught me all I know."

Three junior male Butler divers — John Rhodaberger, Pat Kaiser and Jake Pflugh — have qualified for WPIALs as well. Rhodaberger is ranked among the top five in the district.

"It's all in what these kids put into practice," Bedford said. "Our practice time is our pool time. We're here for two hours every day and these kids get in 50 to 75 dives per day.

"They've all worked extremely hard to get better."

Bedford knows what hard work can lead to. A 1994 Butler graduate, he was a two-time WPIAL diving champion in high school, then became a three-time NCAA Division II national champion and eight-time All-American diver at Clarion University.

None of his Butler divers ventured into the sport before high school.

"I doubt they were even aware Butler had a diving team," Bedford said. "It's sort of a low-profile sport."

But it's producing at a high level.

Schnur placed fifth in the WPIAL meet last year and became the second female Butler diver ever to advance to the state meet. Megan Lewis did so in 2001.

"I didn't expect to get there, but I'm glad I did," Schnur said. "Knowing what to expect out there will help me this time around, if I get back.

"Just experiencing the boards helps. Boards are different at different places. Newer boards are more bouncy, some boards are more slippery, others are positioned higher off the water. You have to adjust."

Schnur might be ranked No. 1 entering the WPIAL meet, but she's taking nothing for granted.

"I only hope people don't expect too much from me," she said. "There's plenty of good divers out there. It's tough competition."

There are five types of dives — front, back, reverse, inward and twist — and Schnur does all of them well, Bedford said.

He also said Schnur's combination of natural ability and the desire to succeed have turned the once inexperienced freshman into a state contender.

"She has more talent in her little finger than most divers have in their entire bodies," Bedford said. "Jessica is an incredible athlete with good jumping height off the board."

Much of Schnur's talent was developed through gymnastics, which she began at age 4 and stayed with until her freshman year.

"I was attracted to diving because it was a sport in which I could use what I learned in gymnastics," Schnur said. "The only real difference between the two is that now I'm landing in water."

Rhodaberger's older sister, Liz, was a diver for Butler last year. She and Schnur consistently finished one-two at various meets last season. Schnur is unbeaten this year.

Nate Rhodaberger, John's older brother, is an assistant coach with Bedford this year.

"I got started in diving because of them," John Rhodaberger said. "It takes a lot of dedication to be good at this.

"I spend a lot of time watching tapes of great divers and watching Olympic diving. We all do. You pick up a lot of tips on form and technique that way."

High school divers begin a competition with five dives, three of which are optional forms.

The mental end of the sport is as important as the physical.

"You miss a dive and it's tough on you because it sticks in your head," Rhodaberger said.

Other Butler divers include Stephanie Kello, Janice Skiles, Brendan Cavanaugh, Garrett English and Russell Bauer.

"The key to this sport is staying focused," Bedford agreed. "Missing a dive is no big deal if you concentrate and hit the other ones."

Diving has become a big deal at Butler.

"You can thank Coach Bedford for that," Schnur said.