Though we’re not DiveDove, we do dabble in diving coverage, and as diving can have a major impact on the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, we cover NCAA Zone Diving – mainly through the lens of how national diving qualifiers could impact the team points battles later this month.
2020 NCAA Zone Diving
- Zones A, B, D, E: Monday, March 9 – Wednesday, March 13
- Zone C: Thursday, March 12 – Saturday, March 14
- Host schools, with live result links:
- Revisit our NCAA selection primer
Women:
Florida International freshman Mandy Song won the Zone B 1-meter title in an event where the non-qualifiers are as newsworthy as the qualifiers.
Song scored 608.45 points to blow out the field by almost 30. Florida State’s Molly Carlson was second. Carlson was 31st at NCAAs last year in this event, so Song could project as a scorer based on her dominating win here. FIU’s strong dive program also boasts Maha Gouda, more of a platform specialist, who was 8th today. That leaves Gouda outside of the invite spot for now, but would qualify her to compete on 1-meter if/when she qualifies on platform later in the week.
Florida’s returning All-American Brooke Madden won’t be returning to NCAAs in 1-meter. She was 7th at nationals last year, but a 14th-place finish today leaves her outside of the cut to contest the event at NCAAs, even if she earns an invite on 3-meter or platform later in the meet.
Florida will get a diver in, though, as Ashley McCool was third overall.
Tennessee sophomore Grace Cable qualified with a 4th-place finish today. Points from Cable would be a big boost to the Volunteer women, who are in the hunt for a top-five finish at NCAAs as a team.
Men:
Anton Down-Jenkins of South Carolina won the 3-meter event on day 1. He was an NCAA B finalist last year, and this year won by 10 points over Miami’s Maxwell Flory. Dive powerhouse Miami put two freshmen in the top three: Flory and Brodie Scapens, and both should be potential scorer come NCAAs.
Tennessee’s Matthew Wade was an A finalist in this event at NCAAs last year, and the sophomore booked a return trip, though he was just 7th overall with the top 8 making the cut. Returning NCAA 1-meter A finalist Nathaniel Hernandez was the last man in.
Of note in the team battle: NC State’s James Brady was the first man outside the cut, though if he qualifies on another board, he’ll be able to enter this event at NCAAs as well.
Current Qualifiers
Simplified Invite Procedures
You can read a more in-depth look at the selection process here. Effectively, each Zone earns a specific number of qualifying spots in each event, based on how that Zone performed at NCAAs last year. Divers who place inside the qualifying places earn an NCAA invite. A diver invited in one event can compete at NCAAs in any other diving event where they were top 12 in their Zone meet. The highest-placing divers earn NCAA reimbursement, while lower-placing qualifiers can compete at NCAAs, but their school must pay for their travel and lodging at the meet.
What does ‘reimbursed’ mean in the chart?
It means that they get their transportation cost + $150 per diem reimbursed by the NCAA. Schools have to pay for other athletes.