Jordan Nelson was not just the lone member of Decatur’s swim team at the state championships last weekend — he was the only participant from Federal Way.

Nelson, a senior, is a diver for the Gators’ swim team. He qualified for the state championships after placing fourth in the men’s 1-meter diving event at the district meet two weeks prior.

At the state championships, he would place ninth out of the 24 competitors in the event.

“I’m a very competitive person and I’m always striving to do better,” Nelson said. “I came into the meet ranked 18 out of 24, so coming out ninth was huge for me. I am extremely happy with my performance. I did my best and had a lot of fun doing it.”

His standing improved with each dive at the event. After his first dive, he was in 14th place. His dive in the semi-finals moved him up to 10th. His final dive moved him up to ninth and just off the podium.

Nelson only began diving three years ago when he decided to try swimming and diving as a winter sport. He was influenced by his father, who was also once a swimmer at Thomas Jefferson High School.

While Nelson enjoyed swimming, he was much more interested in making diving the sport he would focus on.

“He’s really coachable,” said Kelly Robertson, the Federal Way school district diving coach. “He learned so much in that time. One hundred percent growth.”

Robertson believes that if the diving season was longer or he had started a year sooner, Nelson could have placed in the top five considering his growth over the years.

While his career at Decatur is over, Nelson still has an interest in diving. He has no specific plan at the moment, but he is considering his options.

“I might try some diving with coach Kelly’s team and then see from there,” he said. “But the one thing I am sure about is that I’m not quite ready to give up diving just yet.”