Rivals are best friends
On the board, it's all business.
Nikki Usher INQUIRER SUBURBAN STAFF
December 24, 2004

If divers Natalie Thomas and Liza Marianni didn't get along, it wouldn't be considered a major surprise. After all, they are arch-rivals.

Last season, at the state championship meet, Thomas, of Cherokee, took the crown. The year before, the title belonged to Marianni, of Cherry Hill West.
A one-two finish is practically guaranteed in any meet in which the two seniors face each other this season, including the Jim Roach 11-dive championship and the state meet.

But the big question is, which girl will take first.

Thomas and Marianni may have competed against each other for their entire high school careers. And the big prize - winning the state crown as a senior - is still up for grabs.

Though they are intense competitors around the pool, the girls still consider each other best friends.

"We are so close. We pretty much grew up together, so it's hard not to be really, really close," Marianni said.

Four afternoons a week, the girls practice at Drexel University in Philadelphia with the Spinner diving team. It's a ritual they have followed for the last 10 years under coach Larry May.

"But we're not just diving friends. We hang out all the time. We've known each other since fourth grade," Thomas said.

When Thomas isn't cheerleading for Cherokee and Marianni isn't playing varsity field hockey at West, the two face each other in club swim meets in the off-season.

When they step up against each other in high-level competition, it is serious business. A first-place finish might influence a coach's decision about whom to offer a college scholarship. Coming out on top may mean qualifying for prestigious national meets.

"They are definitely in a pressure situation against each other constantly. But we run a supportive program and try to keep the focus on their individual performance," May said.

The girls acknowledge they are in a difficult situation, but try limit their competitiveness to meets.

"If it's a really big meet, maybe it will be weird for a week. But then we go back to being normal," Marianni said.

Thomas said that if she takes second, she would rather see Marianni finish first than watch someone they don't know take the top spot.

"We're in it for ourselves, but we also really want to see each other do well," Thomas said.

Aside from winning the 2003 state title, Marianni's club resume boasts dozens of national meets. She has competed in France and the Netherlands as part of an all-star team.

Cherry Hill West coach Scott Sweeten praises Marianni's ability to analyze performances and diagnose areas where she needs to improve.

"She's talented, but she's also fun to watch," Sweeten said.

Thomas broke the meet record last year at the Roach championship meet. She earned a score of 494.50 points and surpassed the record of 472.85 that Moorestown Friends' Tealin Kelemen set in 1999. Marianni was the 2003 champion.

Thomas currently holds three Junior Olympics diving records and traveled with Marianni to Amsterdam.

Cherokee coach Cheryl May said Thomas is a "beautiful diver who is just unbelievable to watch."

Thomas has a fluid diving style and hones her ballet-like body control through cheerleading. She describes herself as a driven perfectionist. Larry May first noticed Marianni as an 8-year-old club diver when he saw explosive power off the board.

While both girls are serious in practice, Marianni "tends to smile a lot less," according to May. But he is reluctant to compare the girls' personalities. "They both work hard and work to be successful. They really focus on their diving."

Both girls are looking to dive in college. Marianni is interested in Penn State and the University of Connecticut. Thomas is considering schools in the South with strong diving programs, including the University of South Carolina. That means the girls will not compete against each other in weekly meets or practice together with Larry May.

"It's going to be so sad not to have them at the pool," May said.

At the moment, the girls said they aren't thinking too far ahead. After all, there's still a state championship to be decided.

This may be the one contest where their friendship is tested the most. Each can brag about a state title, but both girls want to finish their high school career as the top diver in the state of New Jersey.

As Thomas said, "It's the only thing that's still a bit of a sore spot. We both want to win it our senior year."

Marianni did not perform as well as she liked during the 2003-2004 season and said she is hoping for redemption.

"I have one and Natalie has one, so it's sort of OK because we each have a title. But I still want to win it," Marianni said.

Regardless of who wins the state title, their coaches say that the girls' performances and their enduring friendship should be a model for South Jersey sports.

"They are the same friends they have always been at the end of the competition whoever the winner happens to be," Sweeten said.

Contact suburban staff writer Nikki Usher at 865-779-3234 or nusher@phillynews.com.