BUTLER TWP — For Lev McCollough, switching sports hasn’t been a matter of landing on his feet.

It’s about landing on his head.

“That was the hardest thing to get used to,” the Butler sophomore gymnast-turned-diver said. “The twists, the turns and flips were all there.

“But coming down on my head was definitely a different feeling. I cringed at first.”

But that’s all in the past. Now in his second year as a diver on the Butler High School swim team, McCollough’s stock is on the rise.

He qualified for the WPIAL meet as a freshman last year, but did not place. He has already qualified for WPIALs this season.

“I want to see him make the WPIAL finals this time,” Golden Tornado diving coach Ken Bedford said. “The top six move on to the state meet. Everyone’s got a shot at that.

“Lev has to raise his degree of difficulty a bit more. That’s what we’re working on now.”

McCollough was involved in gymnastics since age 5 before leaving the sport last year. He was a Level 7 gymnast.

“I tried doing both sports last year, but it got to be too much,” he said. “I came to the pool every day after school for diving, then go do gymnastics after that until about 9 p.m.

“I really wanted to give diving a go, so I gave up gymnastics. I’m glad I did because I’ve been able to focus fully on improving as a diver.”

And that focus has paid off.

Earlier this season, McCollough became only the 17th Butler diver in more than 60 years to reach the 200 Club, totaling that many points in scoring at one meet. He has actually eclipsed that figure twice this season.

McCollough admitted the transition from gymnastics to diving came fairly naturally.

“Twists and somersaults, I could already do,” he said. “Getting in tune with the board, learning how to ride it, add moves in the air, is where the real transition lies.”

McCollough was undefeated in dual meets in 2013-14 before Knoch’s Ben Lowery got the best of him a week ago.

“We haven’t seen the best (diving) competition in Triple-A yet, but Lev is more than holding his own,” Bedford said.

“Lev has great body control. He always has a good idea where he’s at during a dive and he can spin fast. He needs to get physically stronger and that will come. He’s still just a sophomore.”

Next year, McCollough is hopeful of making Butler’s 300 Club. Only six divers — Dann Grindel, David Pichler, Nunzio Esposto, Bedford, Heath Calhoun and Levi Cetti — have ever reached that plateau.

Pichler became an Olympic medalist, Bedford now coaches at Butler and Calhoun is an NCAA Division II title contender at Clarion.

Cetti is a senior this year, but is unable to dive anymore because of vertebrae issues with his back.

“It’s a situation where Levi will need surgery regardless,” Bedford said. “Doctors didn’t tell him to keep diving nor did they recommend he stop.

“He’s tried to continue, but the pain is too much. It won’t allow him.”

Cetti placed third in the WPIAL and sixth in the PIAA meet last year.

“He was on target for a WPIAL title and top-three finish in the state,” Bedford said. “It’s a shame.”

Cetti’s absence leaves McCollough as the only male diver on the team. Claire Weiland, a sophomore on the girls team, is a 200 Club member. Emmalee Keep is a Tornado sophomore who is also making strides.

“Levi was a really good diver and it’s strange not having him here this year,” McCollough said. “He helped me a lot last year, teaching and showing me different dives.

“He definitely helped in my development. Now I want to do well for him.”