Suckow Stays Undefeated, Qualifies for 4th NCAAs on Day 1 of Zone A Diving Championships

NCAA Zone A Diving Championships

• March 6-8, 2023
• The Aquatic Center at Mylan Park – Morgantown, West Virginia
• Host: West Virginia University
• Qualifiers
• Preview

Columbia senior Jonathan Suckow stayed undefeated this season with a victory in the men’s 1-meter final on the first day of the 2023 Zone A Diving Championships on Monday in Morgantown, West Virginia. 

Suckow, a Swiss native who finished fourth in the event at last year’s NCAA Championships, qualified for his fourth NCAAs with the top score of 739.60. Only one other Columbia diver, Jayden Pantel (‘18), has been a four-time qualifier. 

Harvard sophomore Adam Wesson earned a runner-up finish after leading prelims with 349.45 points. Yale’s Jeanpaul Ditto (668.40) edged Pitt’s Cameron Cash (660.90) by less than eight points for third place. Princeton was the only school with multiple qualifiers between fifth-place Joseph Victor and sixth-place George Callahan, who clinched the final two qualifying spots. 

Harvard’s Luke Foster missed out on qualifying by just about three points behind Callahan. 

Men’s 1-Meter Qualifiers

1. Jonathan Suckow (CUBC) – 739.60
2. Adam Wesson (HARV) – 702
3. Jeanpaul Ditto (YALE) – 668.40
4. Cameron Cash (PITT) – 660.90
5. Joseph Victor (PRIN) – 636.95
6. George Callanan (PRIN) – 633.85

The Virginia women likely don’t need much help outside of the pool at NCAAs, but the Cavaliers still qualified the top two divers in the women’s 3-meter final. 

Virginia sophomore Lizzy Kaye and senior Jenn Bell went 1-2 to clinch the top two qualifying spots with 683.90 and 637.25 points, respectively. Kaye triumphed by more than 45 points, moving up to fourth in Cavaliers’ program history in the process. Bell’s score of 330.60 in finals was only four points shy of her lifetime best (334.28). 

Buffalo was the only other women’s program to send multiple divers to NCAAs here with senior Victoria Franz (636.15) and sophomore Marialis Kwak (596.15) in the third and fifth seeds, respectively. 

Duquesne’s Amy Read (591.25) finished just about two points behind Harvard’s Nina Janmyr (593.55) for the final qualifying spot.

Women’s 3-Meter Qualifiers

1. Elizabeth Kaye (UVA) – 683.90
2. Jennifer Bell (UVA) – 637.25
3. Victoria Franz (BUFF) – 636.15
4. Paige Lai (YALE) – 610.70
5. Marialis Kwak (BUFF) – 596.15
6. Nina Janmyr (HARV) – 593.55

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.