Edison’s swim program is again showing its strength in the face of cancer.
Coach Diggy Riley returned to the Edison pool deck Monday, five days after his wife, Sally, 50, died from melanoma cancer.
“I need to be here. I want to be here and it feels good to be back on the deck,” he said.
Riley said he and his family have endured ups and downs since Wednesday, but have leaned heavily on their Christian faith and the support of family and friends.
“It’s hard not having her here,” said Riley, who had children, Lindsay, 25, and Tanner, 27, with Sally. “Faith is what is going to get us through.”
Edison’s swim team continues to be supportive. The program plans to wear T-shirts in honor of Sally today as Edison plays host to Marina at 3 p.m.
Earlier this season, Edison swimmers wrote “Team Sally” and “#swim4sally” on their backs, arms and legs.
A memorial service for Sally will be held Saturday at First Christian Church in Huntington Beach at noon. A memorial website also has been established at memorialwebsites.legacy.com/sallyriley/homepage.aspx
Edison swimming also features LSU-bound senior Thomas Smith, who races on as a knee cancer survivor.
“I still have two legs so I’m going to race as hard as I can,” Smith said earlier this season.
MEETS OF THE WEEK
This week’s top meets: Fountain Valley-Los Alamitos and Capistrano Valley-Tesoro today and University-Corona del Mar and Villa Park-Foothill on Wednesday.
DIVERS SCORE BIG
Troy divers Christian Herrera (272.90) and Chrysoula Gatsios (241.30) placed first during last week’s boys and girls dual meet against Sonora. The Warriors’ defending champion boys won the meet while Sonora took the girls meet.
