Anna Cundiff made a seamless transition from tumbling on a mat to flipping into water.

The senior capped off her stellar career on the Prior Lake girls swimming & diving team Nov. 18 on the state medal stand. She finished eighth at the Class AA state meet at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center with 410.25 points.

Not bad for someone who started diving as a ninth-grader and now is leaving the Lakers’ program as the school record holder in total points for an 11-dive competition. Her excellence is the reason she’s been selected as Southwest News Media’s fall girls Athlete of the Season.

Cundiff broke the school record by winning the Section 2AA diving title Nov. 9 with 451.85 points to earn her second straight state berth.

“Going into my senior season, I was more focused on breaking the 6-dive record because I didn’t think it was possible for me to break the 11-dive record,” said Cundiff, who quit gymnastics to give diving a try. “But after the Prior Lake invite, I realized it could actually be a possibility.”

And after the Greyhound Invitational in Duluth back on Oct. 7, Cundiff looked poised to break the school mark. She won that competition with 421.05 points, which was less than a point away from Jana Schaumann’s school-record of 422 points.

Schaumann had held the mark since 1977 until Cundiff shattered it at sections.

“Trying to get the 11-dive record this year was so daunting,” said Cundff, who would like to dive in college but is still narrowing down her school choices. “There was a reason it stood for 46 years; it’s a big record. When I was less than a point off of the record in Duluth, I was a little sad but I knew I would just have to work hard and focus for sectionals.

“When I finally broke the record at sections, it was such a cool moment,” Cundiff added. “Not many get to be school-record holders, and I was so grateful for all the people who helped me get there.”

Cundiff said without the guidance of Prior Lake diving coach Thea Kelly, she may not have been able to reach her goals.

Kelly said Cundiff had razor-like focus and the determination to reach higher heights.

“She’s a student of the sport and is constantly analyzing her technique, her list of dives and soaking in all the coaching she can get,” Kelly said. “It’s been an honor to be part of her journey, one that I always knew would end with her name up on the record board.

“We hoped that she would have both the 6- and 11-dive records before graduation,” Kelly said. “But the silver lining, as she said at the section meet, is that we now get to have our names next to each other and share the record board.”

Yes, Kelly holds the six-dive record at Prior Lake for dual meets (279.40 points) in which she set back in 1996 as Thea Hoeg. Her 11-dive score of 420.50 is third all-time.

Cundiff’s best six-dive score was 257.25, which is fourth-best all-time. She earned that mark in the Lakers’ final South Suburban Conference dual against Rosemount back on Oct. 24.

“I’m so grateful for my coach, Thea, for being one of my biggest supporters,” said Cundiff, who finished 21st at state as a junior. “She is so understanding and teaches me something new everyday. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my wonderful coaches and teammates.”