By SARA MILLER

Kitsap News Group

South Kitsap High’s Jason Gleason won the 1-meter 4A state diving tournament at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way Feb. 18 with the eighth highest score in state meet history.

He earned a score of 474.20 to win the event. Gleason was also SPSL and district champion before becoming the third state champion coached by Dennis Anderson in the last six years.

Joe Rose, a good friend of Gleason, won in 2011, followed by Jesse Lebeda-Sutton in 2012.

During the meet, competitors performed 11 different dives, two in each of the five categories, but three in a selected category.

“Reverse and twisters are my favorite because you feel like you’re flying,” Gleason said.

“You’re in your own world and are close to the board, which is an adrenaline rush.”

Last year, Gleason finished seventh in the state tournament and said the biggest thing he worked on this year was not overthinking dives.

“I tried to focus more on diving and less on everything else,” he said.

“I don’t think about the outcome, just take it one dive at a time.”

After performing well Feb. 17 during preliminaries, Gleason led heading into the finals on Saturday.

During the Saturday competition, he performed a back dive, one-and-a-half somersault with a twist and an inward double somersault to secure the win. All three dives scored in the 6.0-7.0 range.

He beat out Andrew Adam of Auburn Riverside by more than 50 points. Adam’s scored a 426.25 overall to secure second place.

Gleason is the second state champion for South Kitsap this winter after Sarah Stolle won the 4A bowling championship earlier in the month.

Also competing at the WIAA swim championships was senior Dylan Macabitas. He completed his four-year run at state with a sixth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke.

The 200-meter freestyle relay team also competed and earned personal best legs, however, did not advance to the second day of competition.