Pleasant Valley’s Ari Steward wins Spotlight Athlete of the Week

RIVERDALE, Iowa (KWQC) - Pleasant Valley’s Ari Steward is the Spotlight Athlete of the Week.

Steward made her diving season debut a few weeks ago for the Spartans against Moline. She took first place and set a career-high score. That score ranked her second in the state.

Steward also verbally committed to continue her diving career at the Division I level at South Dakota State.

“She’s a standout athlete. She really is. The work that she puts in, she leads with grit. She leads with confidence and positivity in and out of the pool. And it’s awesome to see her be recognized for this,” Pleasant Valley Head Girls Diving Coach Hannah Coiner said.

“It means a lot because I feel like over this past year, especially, I’ve put in a lot of hard work in the off season, which I haven’t done in years prior. So I’m really excited for the season and the recognition means a lot,” Steward said.

“Pleasant Valley has a saying of committed to excellence and I feel like Ari exudes that. She’s again, she’s confident. She knows what she wants,” Coiner said.

“I’m really excited. I think it means a lot more knowing that I’m able to continue into college, but it makes it a lot more special that this is my last high school season,” Steward said.