Chaminade’s Swimming and Diving Program just recently won its first state title in over 40 years. At the center of our victory was Max Van Stone, a junior who captured his third straight first-place finish.

Max has been diving for over a decade, and the longevity shows. He credits “practice, discipline, time management, and amazing coaches/teammates” as the primary drivers of his success.

Max entered the meet as the clear favorite, but his approach to this year’s state championship was not conceited—he focused his mind on the success of the entire team.

“Going into state, I knew I wanted to break my personal record. I was concerned about winning for the swimmers because I wanted to contribute enough points to help us achieve the state championship as a team,” he explained. “I was glad [my performance] was enough to propel us forward.”

Max was not arrogant following his superb performance.

“I’m a perfectionist,” he admitted. “I’m my own worst critic—I always feel as though there’s improvement for every performance I do. There were a couple of dives I wish I did better.” Still, he feels that he “can’t be picky about a win.”

He doesn’t settle for mediocrity, adequacy, or even success—only complete victory.

When asked how it felt to secure his third title, he simply said that it “felt good,” but he quickly made it apparent that it wasn’t totally fulfilling: “I feel one step closer to achieving my freshman-year goal of winning four state championships.”

Max thinks highly of our program’s future, especially with the addition of a talented, new underclassman.

“We have an amazing freshman diver this year, Philip Bailey,” he said. “He’s incredible, and I can’t wait to see how he improves. His form is perfect.” Max was particularly impressed with his ability to “make diving look easy,” a rare talent indeed.

After high school, Max hopes to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Trials and pursue an undergraduate degree in biochemistry at Princeton University, where he is committed to continue diving.

He plans to end his diving career after college; however, Max’s contributions to Chaminade athletics, despite being ongoing, are sempiternal. Throughout this outstanding season, he did the only thing he could—win.