14 years of history was broken during the 2025 CCS competition On Wednesday, May sixth. Held at De Anza College, CCS marks an intense prequel for the State Championships. Current Paly senior and Stanford commit Gunnar Grubbs broke a long standing one-meter CCS record, marking a third record he has set in his high school career. He did this all before earning a state title at California’s CIF State Championships in Clovis California, just one week ago. 

CCS, is a regional championship, while States brings together top athletes from across all of California. When Grubbs earned a score of 665.25, the long standing record was broken. Despite his past feats, Grubbs himself was shocked when breaking the record, as the previous performance was held by a three-time NCAA champion who competed at the collegiate level. He felt very reassured going into states as breaking the record put him in the first seed. “CCS was a confidence booster for states as I went in seeded number 1 which was reassuring,” Grubbs said. 

Despite breaking this record, misfortune plagued his next big performance. “I remember feeling sick during the CCS warmup,” he said. “I did end up getting sick the next day, so I wasn’t able to practice for a whole week before states,” Grubbs said. Grubbs was able to pull out the win nonetheless. 

Grubbs explains his diving is heavily strict to ensure peak performance and success. “I stick to a very tight schedule that leaves almost no time for relaxation during weekdays,” Grubbs said. 

Grubbs also dedicates his coaches and teammates with perpetuating his success with the positive environment they cultivate. “[Coach Meghan’s] dedication is so inspiring,” Grubbs said. 

His ambitions continue to drive his success, and Grubbs has big plans for the future. During his next chapter at Stanford, he wants to win NCAA’s, as well as participate in the LA olympics in 2028 and medal on either 3m or Platform. “stick to 1 sport that you truly love and dedicate yourself to that sport fully,” Grubbs advises. 

It has been a historic year for Paly Swim and Dive, and as this season comes to a bittersweet close, Grubbs continues to train year round. With his sights set on even greater goals, Grubbs knows that the path to excellence demands dedication something he’s learned firsthand through years of discipline. “Most likely you’ll need to sacrifice weekdays and even weekends to improve your craft, but in the end it will all be worth it,” Grubbs said.

14 years of history was broken during the 2025 CCS competition On Wednesday, May sixth. Held at De Anza College, CCS marks an intense prequel for the State Championships. Current Paly senior and Stanford commit Gunnar Grubbs broke a long standing one-meter CCS record, marking a third record he has set in his high school career. He did this all before earning a state title at California’s CIF State Championships in Clovis California, just one week ago. 

CCS, not to be confused with States, is a regional championship, while States brings together top athletes from across all of California. When Grubbs earned a score of 665.25, the long standing record was broken. Despite his past feats, Grubbs himself was shocked when breaking the record, as the previous performance was held by a three-time NCAA champion who competed at the collegiate level. He felt very reassured going into states as breaking the record put him in the first seed. 

Despite breaking this record, misfortune plagued his next big performance. “I remember feeling sick during the CCS warmup,” he said. “I did end up getting sick the next day, so I wasn’t able to practice for a whole week before states,” Grubbs said. Grubbs was able to pull out the win nonetheless. 

Grubbs explains his passion for diving is heavily controlled to ensure peak performance and success. “I stick to a very tight schedule that leaves almost no time for relaxation during weekdays,” Grubbs said. His coaches and teammates also perpetuate his success, with the positive environment they cultivate. “[Coach Meghan’s] dedication is so inspiring,” Grubbs said. 

His ambitions continue to drive his success and during his next chapter at Stanford he wants to win NCAA’s for Stanford and go to the LA olympics in 2028 and medal on either 3m or Platform. “Most likely you’ll need to sacrifice weekdays and even weekends to improving your craft, but in the end it will all be worth it,” Grubbs said. 

It has been a historic year for Paly Swim and Dive, and as this season comes to a bittersweet close, Grubbs continues to train year round.