Four Gamecocks Earn NCAA Diving Championship Spots
March 9, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. – The University of South Carolina diving program wrapped up its time at the 2017 NCAA Diving Zone Championships on Wednesday at Auburn University. The Gamecocks head home with four divers qualifying for the NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships and a couple of new school records.
Julia Vincent (1-meter, 3-meter), Mikaela Lujan (1-meter, 3-meter), Allyson Nied (platform) and Jordan Gotro (1-meter, platform) each earned a spot to compete at the NCAA Championships later this month.
“It has been a great week,” said head diving coach Todd Sherritt. “This whole team has been performing well all year. Getting four into the NCAA Championships is a hard thing to do. Everyone’s hard work has paid off. We had some outstanding performances. I thought Marissa Roth had some outstanding dives. She did not get into the NCAAs this year but at her rate of improvement we will see her there next year. Jordan Gotro finishing sixth on the one-meter and tenth on the tower was incredible. Julia Vincent won the one-meter by over 100 points, I have never had a diver do that. Allyson Nied won the platform event by over 60 points. Mikaela Lujan, a sophomore, finished 32nd last year and finished third on the one-meter this year, qualifying her for the one-meter and three-meter. This whole team did a great job. I really enjoyed this week, but now it’s time to focus on the NCAA Championships.”
Vincent finished first in the women’s 1-meter with a score of 677.35, setting a new school record. Lujan followed in at third with a score of 569.95. Vincent took seventh place in the 3-meter dive after scoring 604.00, while Lujan finished at eleventh with a mark of 577.50. Nied also set a new school record as she took the number one position in the platform event with a score of 586.10.
On the men’s side, Gotro finished sixth in the 1-meter with a score of 672.35 and tenth on the platform after posting a score of 643.15.
With Zone Diving in the rearview mirror, the Gamecocks now know their full roster for the upcoming NCAA Championships. The list includes men’s swimmers Akram Mahmoud, Tomas Peribonio, Fynn Minuth, Cody Bekemeyer, Nils Wich-Glasen, Jonathan Boland, Patrick McCrillis, Caleb Tosh and Jack Smith, along with women’s swimmers Emma Barksdale and Kersten Dirrane.
The NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships are schedule for March 15-18, with the Men’s Championships booked one week later.
For the latest updates on South Carolina swimming and diving, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter and Instagram (@gamecockswim).
