Pottsville senior Adam Klinger, front row, second from right, signs an NCAA Division I letter of intent to compete in diving at Seton Hall University during a ceremony held Friday afternoon at the Ned Hampford Natatorium. Joining him for the ceremony are, front row, from left: Lauren Klinger, sister, Denise Klinger, mother, Adam and Bob Klinger, father; back row, Pottsville Area High School principal Tiffany Hummel, boys' head swim coach Ned Hampford and athletic director Pete Sanfilippo (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

Pottsville senior was third at states last season

POTTSVILLE — It took Pottsville boys’ swim coach Ned Hampford only one word to describe senior diver Adam Klinger.

Relentless.

That relentless drive and work ethic was the major reason Klinger had a breakout 2024-25 campaign, winning the Schuylkill League and District 11 Class AA championships and placing third at the PIAA Class AA Diving Championships at Bucknell University.

Friday, that same relentless drive and work ethic had Klinger and his family sitting at a table on the deck at the Ned Hampford Natatorium, signing an NCAA Division I letter of intent to attend Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

“He is absolutely relentless in his work habits,” Hampford said of Klinger. “As soon as he hits the water, he’s climbing out of the pool, right back up on the board. He’ll repeat the dives over and over again until he gets the final product perfect in his eyes.

“He not only dives locally, but he dives for clubs in the Lehigh Valley. It’s not unusual for him to put in two hours here at our pool, hop in a car and go down to the Lehigh Valley for two more hours. He’s just relentless.”

Klinger, 18, was joined by his parents, Bob and Denise, and his older sister, Lauren, at Friday’s ceremony. Sitting a table containing a bevy of Klinger’s medals, his District 11 championship placard and some photos, the group posed for the traditional signing photo with Pottsville Area High School principal Tiffany Hummel, athletic director Pete Sanfilippo and Hampford, then took some other candid shots to celebrate the moment.

Klinger, who plans to major in chemistry at Seton Hall, said he settled on the Pirates after talking with a fellow diver who recommended the Big East school.

“I got in contact with the coach and they invited me down for a visit,” Klinger said. “I had a great time. I met both the dive coach and the swim coach and they were super nice to me.

“It’s a beautiful campus. It’s ranked one of the highest academically. Athletically, they take great care of their athletes and have programs dedicated to just their athletes. The coaches were super straight with me. They told me they wanted me on their team. They gave me a tremendous offer and it checked all the boxes for me.”

Klinger dominated the local diving scene last winter, breaking both the Pottsville school and Ned Hampford Natatorium records in the six-dive competition and re-writing the school record in the 11-dive event.

The 5-foot-8, 135-pounder won the inaugural Schuylkill League Diving Invitational held in January at Blue Mountain, repeated as Schuylkill League boys’ diving champion and captured his first District 11 Class AA crown.

Klinger then became Pottsville’s first-ever state diving medalist when he placed third in Class AA at the PIAA Diving Championships held March 13 at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium. It’s the highest a Schuylkill League diver has ever placed at states; Tamaqua’s Amanda Sandlin was fourth in the Class AA girls’ event in 2007.

The bronze medal not only served as a reward for the hard work he put in last season, but motivation to do even better during his senior campaign.

Last spring, Klinger placed ninth in the 1-meter event and 14th in the 3-meter competition in the 16-18-year-old age group at the 2025 AAU Red-White-Blue Diving National Championships held May 24-26 at the Huntersville Aquatic Center in North Carolina.

This season, in addition to the second Schuylkill League Diving Invitational set for January 10 at Blue Mountain, Klinger will compete in the Flips of Fury Diving Invitational on Jan. 24 at Parkland and the Cedar Crest Classic Diving Invitational on Jan. 31 at Emmaus.

The relentless work ethic won’t stop until he captures another state medal, he said.

“I dove as much as I could in the offseason,” Klinger said. “I went to AAU nationals, I practiced with my club almost every day. I’ve learned a lot of new dives. I’m working just as hard now, practicing about four hours a day, most days of the work.

“I hope to defend all my titles this year … league champion, district champion. If I can maintain third place or do better at states, I’ll be really happy.”