Senior Brady Huettl of Catholic Memorial High School, Waukesha, won his second consecutive state championship in diving at Waukesha South High School on Feb. 25. Here, he is shown after breaking the Waukesha South-Catholic Memorial program record for six dives, a record that had stood for more than 50 years. He beat the 11-dive record later in the season. (Submitted photo)

The top high school diver in Wisconsin is taking another big plunge this week — into the waters of Baptism.

Catholic Memorial High School senior Brady Huettl will be baptized and enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil at Christ King, Wauwatosa, on Saturday, April 19.

“I made the decision to become Catholic because I saw everyone around me, motivating me. Seeing people strong in their faith — my age — was something I’ve never seen before, and it made me want to be a better person,” he said.

Huettl, who attended public schools in the past, did not expect to make a faith journey when he decided to attend Catholic Memorial in Waukesha because his friend went there to play basketball.

“But as I looked more into growing in my faith, I found out it was something I loved and wanted to do.”

“Even though I just took action on Baptism this year, I’ve been learning about God and what Catholicism is about. Now, I want to give my life to the Lord and be the best man I can,” he said.

His diving achievements provide a track record of striving to become the best.

When Huettl found himself trailing Madison Memorial sophomore AJ Beard after the preliminaries and semifinals of the WIAA state swimming and diving championships Feb. 25 at Waukesha South High School, Huettl knew he was in good position to repeat as state diving champion.

He just had to execute a series of dives he practiced countless times, and he would emerge victorious again.

While he was trailing going into the finals, Huettl’s dives were a higher degree of difficulty, so if he executed, he was going to win.

“I just had to really focus on me in the water,” Huettl said.

He overtook Beard on his first dive of the finals and continued on to the championship.

Christine Schmidt, the diving coach for the Waukesha South-Catholic Memorial co-op team, said every time she checked in on Huettl during the finals, he was calm, relaxed and focused on what he needed to do.

“He knows what he needs to know, so in essence, it was honestly just letting Brady do what he does,” Schmidt said, “and he did it well, and that’s what his reward was.”

That came on the heels of Huettl’s 2024 championship, which he earned with a 52-point cushion.

“It’s really just a blessing to be in that position and repeat, just knowing that God brings you the opportunity to be in that position,” he said.

An “adrenaline junky” who loved performing tricks on his skateboard and flips on the trampoline, Huettl joined a diving club when he was in eighth grade.

“I think that’s the way I like to live,” Huettl said.

As a freshman, he finished 11th at the state meet for the Waukesha South-Catholic Memorial co-op team.

“It opened my eyes a little, but I realized I had the opportunity to build up to (being a state champion), and I was just really focused on getting all these new dives,” Huettl said.

Schmidt noted Huettl is the type of athlete who sees someone else do something and wants to try to replicate it himself. She commented that high-pressure meets had prepared him for getting to the top of the state, especially after he finished third in the state as a sophomore, and he was serving as a role model for younger divers in the program as he ascended the ranks.

All of that success opened the eyes of college recruiters, as well. Huettl will compete in diving at St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, New York, in western New York.

He will get to work under the tutelage of diving coach Alejandra Fuentes, who competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

“I’m really excited to continue to dive and see what’s possible,” Huettl said. “I have the opportunity of having a really great coach, and I want to see what I can do with this and where I can go.”

At the same time, he’ll find out where his Catholic faith will take him as well.