Santa Margarita diver Murphy finishes second at Masters

LONG BEACH – When the thump heard all around Belmont Plaza arrived Tuesday, Santa Margarita's Conor Murphy appeared positioned to capitalize.

Deon Reid, however, was in no mood for generosity.

The Long Beach Poly sophomore diver overcame hitting his toes on the 3-meter springboard in the fourth round to claim a second consecutive Masters title, and in record fashion no less.

Reid ripped his final two dives to rack up a six-dive score of 378.20 points. Murphy finished second at 330.00. The senior trailed Reid by less than 10 points going into the fifth round.

Murphy certainly wasn't disappointed after claiming the silver. The former gymnast has been diving for just over a year.

He joined the Eagles' team last year to earn P.E. credits. He finished fourth in Division 1 and is now headed to powerhouse Indiana as a walk-on for renowned coach and county product Jeff Huber

"I'm really happy," said Murphy, who dives club for the Mission Viejo Nadadores. "I didn't really know what to expect. I just did my best, made some corrections (from Division 1 finals) and dove."

Murphy and the rest of the onlookers knew what to expect from Reid. The Division 1 champion scored two 9s and a 9.5 in the fifth round for his forward 3 1/2 somersault tuck on the 3meter. He closed his list by posting three 10s on his back 1 1/2 somersault with 2 1/2 twists on 3meter.

Reid's strong finish helped him slip past his 2009 record of 377.15. The McCormick club diver posted the record despite collecting 2s for thumping his toes on the board on his inward 2 1/2 somersault pike.

Reid said hitting the board “kind of hurt.”

“But I was more mad than anything,” he said. “You just have to forget it and focus on your next dive. … I knew I had to come back with those last two dives.”

Reid's club teammate, Paulina Guzman of Long Beach Millikan, won her third Masters title. The UCLA-bound senior scored 316.80 points to outdistance freshman Madison Hudkins of Vista Murrieta (292.65) and Troy junior Allison Casareto (286.45).