Semoball Awards: Tommy-Anne Marriott claims Girls Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year

After a season where the Cape Central Tigers swim program faced struggles with divers training, Tommy-Anne Marriott reaped the rewards of her travel and hard work with one last award.

Marriott was awarded the Girls Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year award at the 2023 Semoball Awards presented by SoutheastHEALTH on Friday, July 14, at LaCroix Church in Cape Girardeau.

Marriott was glad to see her hard work pay off.

“This past went really well for me,” Marriott said. “Other than the struggle with trying to find practice time and training time, this season was super fun for me. Winning this award just means everything to me after all the time, effort and travel I put into this season.”

The aforementioned struggle was the fact the Cape Central divers couldn’t train locally because the Central Municipal Pool was closed.

Marriott and her teammates were able to travel to Perryville to train during the season.

As Marriott prepares for her senior season, she has been able to build confidence by winning the award, as well as finishing in first place in the state in diving.

“Winning this award means everything to me,” Marriott said. “I hope to do everything I can this year to improve my training to win again next year. I also hope to continue diving and colleges notice me so I can do this for another four years.”

The Tigers girls swimming team had a dominating 2023 season and while they are all impressive in their roles, Marriott said the success starts away from the pool.

“This team is full of best friends,” Marriott said. “There’s nobody on the team that doesn’t get along. That’s why I think we’re so good is because everyone knows everyone and it’s just one big family. That’s why I feel next year that we are just going to totally dominate in every way that we can.”

With the success the Tigers had last season, Marriott’s confidence isn’t misplaced. The Tigers finished third in the 2023 MSHSAA State Finals.