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.
2021 NCAA Zone Diving
- Zone A: Greensboro Aquatic Center / Greensboro, NC
- Thursday, March 11 – Saturday, March 13
- Live Results
- Zone B: Greensboro Aquatic Center / Greensboro, NC
- Sunday, March 7 – Tuesday, March 9
- Live Results
- Zone C: University of Kentucky / Lexington, KY
- Sunday, March 7 – Tuesday, March 9
- Live Results
- Zone D: University of Kentucky / Lexington, KY
- Thursday, March 11 – Saturday, March 13
- Live Results
- Zone E: Northern Arizona University / Flagstaff, AZ
- Monday, March 8 – Wednesday, March 10
- Live Results
UNC’s Anton Down Jenkins won his second event of the week, and Tennessee’s women got an NCAA diving qualifier on the final day of Zone Bs.
Tennessee will add platform diver Kara Holt, who was sixth on Tuesday’s platform competition. Her teammate Grace Cable just missed qualifying by the narrowest of margins: just 0.15 points.
UNC swept both boards on the final day. Aranza Vazquez Montano won the women’s platform, capping off a consistent week in which she finished in the top three on all three boards. The freshman, who represents Mexico internationally, looks to be a high-impact addition to the NCAA dive landscape this season.
Down Jenkins won the men’s 1-meter event to go with his 3-meter win from day 1. He crushed the field by 35 today.
The Miami men got a fourth diver into NCAAs as Jack Matthews finished second to Down Jenkins.
One more qualification that could have some impact on the team battles: Alabama got their first divers into the meet today with Tanesha Lucoe on the women’s side and Zhenwei Li on the men’s side.
Current Qualifiers
Reimbursed divers are in bold, with invited-but-not-reimbursed divers in non-bold. You can read more about the distinction below.
| Women | |
| Diver | Events |
| Emma Gullstrand, Miami | 1m, 3m |
| Mia Vallee, Miami | 1m, 3m |
| Aranza Vazquez Montano, UNC | 1m, 3m, Pl |
| Aliyah Watson, Duke | Pl |
| Maha Gouda, FIU | 3m, Pl |
| Camryn Hidalgo, Georgia Tech | 3m, 1m, Pl |
| Ashley McCool, Florida | 1m, 3m |
| Elizabeth Perez, Florida | 1m |
| Anna Bradescu, Georgia Tech | Pl |
| Emily Grund, UNC | 1m, 3m, Pl |
| Maddison Pullinger, Duke | 1m |
| Kara Holt, Tennessee | Pl |
| Tanesha Lucoe, Alabama | Pl |
| Men | |
| Diver | Events |
| Anton Down Jenkins, UNC | 1m, 3m |
| Zach Cooper, Miami | Pl |
| Brodie Scapens, Miami | 1m, 3m, Pl |
| Jack Matthews, Miami | 1m, 3m |
| Bryden Hattie, Tennessee | 1m, 3m, Pl |
| Maxwell Flory, Miami | 3m, Pl |
| Joshua Davidson, FSU | 1m, 3m |
| Alexander Hart, UNC | 1m, 3m |
| Leonardo Garcia, Florida | 3m, Pl |
| Ruben Lechuga Gonzalez, GT | 1m, 3m, Pl |
| Will Hallam, Tennessee | 3m, Pl |
| Matthew Wade, Tennessee | 1m, 3m |
| Zachary Allen, Georgia | 1m |
| Keegan Richardson, Tennessee | Pl |
| Zhenwei Li, Alabama | 1m |
| Seamus Harding, Duke | Pl |
| Fabian Stepinski, UNC | 1m, 3m |
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.
Yea it is the TENNESSEE DIVING and swim TEAM!