Tyler Keller almost left one of the biggest decisions he ever had to make up to chance.

“It was the night before [and] I had to make my decision the next day,” Keller said of his college choice. “I had no idea what to do. I was torn between both of them because they both had the same pros and cons and same cost. It wasn’t my brightest move, but I flipped a coin-heads was George Washington and tails was Lehigh. And it landed on George Washington.”

But that’s not how Keller does business.

“I was bummed it wasn’t Lehigh, so I knew it was Lehigh,” he said. “So that was that.”

Just like the way he decided on his future school of choice is how Keller prepared for everything in his respective sports. He trains and prepares for anything possible. No corners cut. No luck to bank on. And for that he became one of the school’s most well-rounded athletes, earning the title of Salisbury Press Male Athlete of the Year.

It was just last winter when Keller produced a magical diving season, culminating with a state medal and a future spot on Lehigh’s diving team. The District 11 diving champion-by over 130 points-placed second in the state behind Big Springs’ Dillon Novak.

“The diving this year was my best year so far,” Keller said. “I learned so many new dives this year, actually achieved my dream that I wanted to get from my sophomore year that I made up. I got all of the dives that I wanted to do.”

Keller didn’t have his best day at Bucknell University for his final state meet. He knew it would be between him and Novak for gold. The two are close friends and have competed against one another for years. Yet even coming in second place wasn’t an easy task.

“It just wasn’t going my way,” Keller said. “Going into the last dive actually, I needed to get 8s or higher in order to even get second, which I thought was something that was going to be easier to achieve. At that moment I knew it wasn’t that easy.

“I’ve been diving against him a lot. We’ve always gone back and forth between high school and club…At states, he even told me that was the best meet of his life. He would have won [Class 3A] hands down.”

Novak finished with 518.90 points. Keller came in second at 394.10.

Much like he has to depend on solely himself off the diving board, Keller is in a similar position during the fall season. Keller has been a three-year starter for the Falcons’ soccer team, holding down the goalie spot under head coach Mark Allinson since his sophomore season.

While most people fantasize about being the leading goal-scorer, Keller embraces the opportunity to be all alone in goal.

“It’s basically all on me,” Keller said. “There is nobody else that can help me past that point. The whole game is based on you. Even though the game is 0-0 and you can’t bank on yourself scoring, you can bank on yourself for saving the game. It’s something completely different than playing the field.”

Few have been as impressive as Keller. He is a two-time Colonial League All-Star, including a Second Team selection in 2016. He was credited with 14 shutouts this past fall (24 for his career) to go along with 114 saves (over 300 for his career).

More importantly, Keller was a key cog in goal for Salisbury in its championship season to end a district title drought in recent years.

“Going back to my freshman year, it was our third time going to the district championship,” Keller said. “And the two years before we got second, so this was the last year that really counted for us. It was amazing to come out with a win.”

This past spring Keller gave up track and field, where he was a Colonial League medal-winning pole vaulter, to play on the varsity tennis team.

It’s no surprise he succeeded there as well. He suited up at No. 2 doubles for much of the season and helped the Falcons to a 12-4 record.

“I didn’t think I was going to be in any matches at all,” Keller said. “I actually started in all of them at second doubles.”

He recently recovered from a broken ankle and Keller has been competing with Parkland Aquatic Club this summer back on the diving board.

He’s close to 100 percent and ready to embark on the next chapter of his diving career. Keller reports to Lehigh on August 23.