BENTONVILLE -- The constant pestering finally got to Terrell Palmer, and he just wanted it to stop.

Each time he went to his pre-calculus class, Brandon Price was there to ask if he considered joining Bentonville's boys swim and dive team. After a lengthy period of being asked the same question and eventually receiving an email from Tigers coach Nick Nersesian, Palmer relented and joined the team.

"I really didn't want him bugging me any more," said Palmer of his classmate with a laugh. "Every time I walked into class, he would say 'you ought to go to the swim and dive meeting on a certain date, and I'll text you later to remind you.'

"Finally I got the email from coach, and my mom agreed to let me do it. I actually enjoyed it."

If only Palmer or Nersesian knew what lied ahead, and it's why Palmer has been chosen as boys Diver of the Year by NWA Media.

He made a big splash during his first dive practice and went from there to not only win the 1-meter diving competition at the 7A/6A State Swimming Championships. Furthermore, he broke a 28-year-old state record in the process.

"Pinch me; I still can't believe that occurred," Nersesian said.

Palmer, who has done gymnastics since he was 6, said his only diving experience before he joined the swim team was "goofing off," when he would go to the local pool during the summer and do basic flips into the water. It was there that Price saw what Palmer did, and that led to the constant questioning once school started.

Bentonville's swim team began preseason practices in October, but Palmer didn't have his first workout session until November. That was enough to him to have butterflies when he came to his first workout.

"I didn't talk to anyone," Palmer said. "I was still learning takeoffs and basic stuff that other divers had been doing for a while. The gymnastics background -- having that ability to control where you are and how to look clean and tight -- helped a lot. It wasn't a big transition for me."

While he didn't say much during his first practice, Palmer's abilities on the 1-meter board spoke volumes.

Nersesian was blown away when, in a 45-minute span, Palmer hit eight dives on that first practice. That eventually led to his performance at the state meet, when compiled 448.83 points and broke the previous record of 433.90 set by Conway's Doug Tyler in 1986.

"That was extraordinary, to say the least," Nersesian said. "To see where he started out and where he was coached to go after that top prize, that was amazing in itself.

"A lot of things in gymnastics -- the turns, the flips -- it's a similar language to what they do on the diving board. Even on the deck, Terrell would work through some of his dives and we would talk to him on the board. It was just a matter of tweaking what he did on dives."

Palmer is not ready to rest of his accomplishment. He will go to Indianapolis this summer to participate in a two-week diving academy, and he has his sights set on breaking his record.

"It's going to be impressive next year," Nersesian said. "It's going to be interesting to see what he comes back with, and I'm going up there to learn these newer and harder dives."

Sports on 03/28/2014