Athletes are urged to put their heart into their craft.

Until recently, it seemed as though Trevor Elliott's heart didn't want to cooperate.

Now a senior diver at Seneca Valley, Elliott has dealt with several heart issues from an early age.

A family doctor prescribed medication when he was 10 years old, but the problems persisted; the most notable one being bradycardia, a slower than normal heart rate.

“While I was diving or exercising, my heart rate would go up to 150, which is normal,” Elliott said. “But then when I stopped and rested, it would plummet to just 15 beats per minute.

“I passed out a lot, sometimes during meets, but usually during practice,” he said. Elliott still made progress in diving, however, making the WPIAL Class 3A meet his freshman and sophomore years, placing 19th and 13th, respectively.Prior to his junior year, he underwent surgery to have a pacemaker installed.“I was a little scared at first because I didn't know how it would affect me,” he said. “It's near my collarbone, but I've gotten used to it.”Elliott said he has not experienced any problems since the surgery. He dove with confidence last season, placing second in the WPIAL with a score of 424.45.“I was very excited that I finished that high,” he said. “I was very proud of myself after all the issues with my heart.”Elliott, who will dive at the college level at Case Western Reserve, will be making his fourth and final trip to the district championship meet Saturday at North Allegheny High School. He enters the event ranked third with a season-best score of 277.75.Fox Chapel's David Manelis, last year's champion, is ranked first.Divers who reach Saturday's final round will end up performing 11 dives, five more than the usual six during regular season meets.“Winning is always a goal, but I definitely want to get up to 475 to 480,” added Elliott, who is one of four SV boys looking to medal (top eight).Senior Matthew Laslavic is seeded fifth. Sophomores Jeremiah Laslavic and Sam Hersick are seeded sixth and ninth, respectively.Two others, Sam Skeen and Isaiah Clerkley, also qualified, but no school is able to enter more than four divers.Seneca Valley's girls will also be well-represented, with junior Ashley Felitsky (seeded fourth, 266.25) and seniors Rylie Smith (seventh) and Abby Kutchma (20th) all set to compete.Felitsky placed 10th last year.“I want to place in the top eight this year, that's my goal,” she said. “Being seeded as high as I am, it doesn't add any more pressure for me. I know if I dive the way I'm capable, I'll do well.”Butler's girls will be sending their own trio to the championship meet, led by junior Dalayne Waterbec, who enters with a score of 232.She has competed at WPIALs twice before.“She was a gymnast before she became a diver, so with the tumbling and flipping, she had that down,” said Butler coach Ken Bedford. “The biggest thing for her was the obstacle of getting used to landing on her head. Gymnasts are used to landing on their feet.“I've seen that progression in Dalayne this year. She's very confident and looking really strong right now.”Also diving for Butler will be two other juniors — Alana Collins and Maura Szebalskie. They will be joined by Mars junior Kirsten Maybach and freshman Emily Mueller.

Elliott