Seneca Valley diver headed to Level 10 Nationals in gymnastics
FREEDOM — Seneca Valley sophomore Isaiah Clerkley qualified for the PIAA Diving Championships this season.
He’s taking his gymnastics skills even farther.
Competing out of the Western PA Gymnastics Club in Freedom, Clerkley recently qualified for the Level 10 USA Gymnastics Men’s Development Nationals, slated for May 13 in Mesa, Ariz. He qualified through the Region 7 championships April 9 at West Point.
“I didn’t perform my best there, but I still qualified,” Clerkley said. “That gives me confidence because I know I can do a lot better.”
Clerkley, only 15, is in his first year at Level 10. He went to nationals in Level 9 last year, placing 16th on the pommel horse. Clerkley was the Region 7 champion in Level 9 in 2021, a competition that includes gymnasts from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, New York and New Jersey.
He’s been involved in gymnastics since age 2.
“We got him started in a toddler’s class,” said Lori Zona, Clerkley’s mother and one of his coaches. “He’s always enjoyed it. He started competing at age 6 and has always done really well.”
Clerkley did not begin diving until his freshman year at Seneca Valley. He qualified for the WPIAL Championships that year, but did not attend. He took second at the WPIAL Diving Championships this year with a score of 418.20. He finished 10 points behind district champion Will Schenk of North Allegheny.
At the PIAA meet, Clerkley finished 15th in 1-meter diving.
“Diving looked like fun, so I decided to try it,” Clerkley said of joining the sport. “I was a little uncomfortable at first and had to get used to going head-first into the water. It was a different technique for me.
“My gymnastics background definitely helped, though. A lot of the (diving) moves came natural to me.”
His practice schedule doing both sports at the same time was a bit rigorous.
Diving practice was at 5:30 a.m. two or three days a week. On other days, Clerkley would attend diving practice after school until 5 p.m., then head off to gymnastics practice from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
“Isaiah stayed loyal to both sports,” Zona said. “He never missed practice.”
“I had to learn to manage my time,” Clerkley said. “I do my homework late at night quite a bit, but it works out.”
Scott Knechtel, who co-owns the gym with Zona, works closely with Clerkley.
“He works hard and is a good, basic gymnast,” Knechtel said. “The thing is, Isaiah is 15 and he’s going up against Level 10 gymnasts who are ages 16-19. That will make it tough on him at nationals.
“For him, it’s all about improvement right now. He’s got a couple more years to compete before his graduation. Hopefully, he’ll set himself up for college.”
Clerkley’s best event is the pommel horse.
“You need good, tight form and a lot of upper body strength to perform in that event,” Knechtel said. “Isaiah has all of those things.”
Clerkley said he’s improving in floor exercise as “I’m picking up more moves,” but takes pride in his efforts on the pommel horse.
“Strength and endurance,” he said of the qualities needed for that event. “The routine lasts about 30 seconds and you have to make everything stick. It involves a lot of concentration as well.”
Nolan Grupp, 8, of Seven Fields competed in Level 5 at the Region 7 championships and qualified for the all-state team at the state championships. Anthony Farrah, a seventh-grader from Wexford, qualified for Eastern Nationals in Level 7 and Mannix Oster, 10, of Beaver, made the Region 7 championships in Level 4.
