Four Utah Divers Clinch Spots at NCAA Championships

Monday, March 11

Flagstaff, AZ

University of Utah

NCAA Diving Zone E

Photo by: Axe Tang/Utah Athletics

Four Utah Divers Clinch Spots at NCAA Championships

3/11/2024 6:30 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Utes to send three women divers to Nationals for first time ever, Petersen qualifies for second straight year

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – For the first time in program history, the University of Utah swimming and diving team will have three women's divers competing at the NCAA Championships and they'll be joined by Elias Petersen, who qualified on the men's side on Monday on the first day of the NCAA Zone E Championships, which are being held at the Northern Arizona Aquatic Complex in Flagstaff, Arizona.

"We couldn't have asked for anything better than how we performed today," said head diving coach Richard Marschner. "It's amazing to watch this team go to work every day and pour their hearts into their craft and each other. You can never guarantee or control the results but you can control the process and the work you put in. I know that everyone on this team has put in the work, so I'm thrilled that it paid off for everyone. We've still got work to do the next few days to earn entry in a few more events but we're in a great spot."

One day, four divers qualified for the NCAA Championships.

What a start to the NCAA Zone E Championships for the Utes!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/giab12W9CU
— Utah Swim & Dive (@UTAHswimdive) March 11, 2024

All four Utes who dived on Monday earned a spot at Nationals, including Holly Waxman, Kathryn Grant and Emilia Nilsson Garip in the women's 1m. Nilsson Garip got the day started by recording the event's highest preliminary score at 314.95. Waxman's score of 291.35 landed her in third, while Grant took 10th with a total of 270.30, sending all three through to finals.

In that final, it was Waxman who led the way for Utah, crafting a mark of 281.15 that secured her place at Nationals in the 1m for the third consecutive season. Grant finished only a single spot behind her teammate in sixth, with a point total of 289.80 and Nilsson Garip placed eighth with a mark of 238.65.

For Waxman, this will give her the chance to best her 1m performance at Nationals from a year ago, when she placed 15th, highest ever by a Ute in that competition. Grant will also be competing in the 1m at the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year.

Petersen secured the opportunity to compete in the men's 3m at Nationals for the second straight season and he got started with a fourth-place showing in prelims and a score of 372.90 before improving to a 375.25 in the final, maintaining his spot in fourth. This will be Petersen's second straight opportunity to dive in the 3m at the National Championships.

Up Next
Day two at zones will encompass the platform diving competition for the men and the 3m for the women.

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