GRANVILLE, Ohio (March 2, 2024) – Denison University's six divers competing in the 2024 NCAA Division III Central Diving Regional closed out the weekend with sophomore
Lu-Si Minnich and junior
Kerstyn Johnson finishing in first and second place, respectively, in the women's 1-meter dive. Between both genders, the Big Red earned five top-six finishes during day two.
Minnich scored 481.40 points to win the 3-meter dive in front of Johnson, who totaled 461.50 points. It was the same order the two divers finished in the event during the final day of the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships exactly two weeks ago.
Minnich scored 60.20 points on her ninth dive, a back 2 1/2 somersault tuck (205C), and then finished off the win with a forward 1 1/2 somersault 2 twist free (5134D) for 52.50 points. Johnson's best dive of the night was a reverse 1 1/2 somersault pike (303B) worth 47.15 points on her eighth attempt. Johnson was top-three on both boards at regionals this year and has never finished lower than sixth in either event in her career.
Junior
Alexis Radhakrishnan finished sixth with 413.30 points and got 43.20 points from a forward 2 1/2 somersault pike (105B) on her seventh dive while
Molly McIntyre was 14th with 368.05 points and got 38.85 points from an inward 1 1/2 somersault pike (403B) on her sixth attempt. Radhakrishnan was sixth in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives during her first regional appearance with the Big Red while McIntrye finished top-15 in both events as a freshman.
On the men's side, sophomore
Nick Fogle put himself into great position to qualify for nationals with a third-place performance in the 1-meter dive. Fogle scored 445.70 total points and trailed only Kenyon College's Israel Zarvaleta (518.60) in first place and Anderson University's Matthew Hayward (446.30) in second. Fogle scored over 50 points in three of his last four dives, including a high-score of 55.80 points on an inward 2 1/2 somersault tuck (405C) on his ninth attempt. Fogle has been great on the 1-meter board during each of his first two regional appearances, finishing fifth in 2023 and third this season.
In sixth place was fellow-sophomore
Brendan Stanley, who totaled 433.45 points and scored 54.00 points on a back 2 1/2 somersault tuck (205C) on his seventh dive. After improving his finish on the 3-meter board at regionals from his freshman year to his sophomore year by 15 spots with a fifth-place finish on Friday, Stanley improved by seven spots in the 1-meter dive on Saturday and earned his second top-six finish of the meet.
Qualifiers for the 2024 NCAA Division III Championships will be announced next week. The qualifiers to the National Championships will be determined by first-place finishers from each board, using two of the allocated spots. If the same person finishes first on both boards, only one allocation will be used for that athlete. Next, second-place finishers from each board will be selected, using two of the allocated spots. If the same person finishes second on both boards, or one/both of the athletes have already been selected, only one or no allocations will be used. This will continue with each finishing spot (third, fourth, fifth, etc.) until all the allocated spots have been assigned for each region. If there is one allocation left and two divers who have not been selected are up for qualification, finishing in the same ranking on each board, the committee will use the diver's combined score made up of their one-meter and three-meter scores. The competitor who has the highest score will be invited to the meet, earning the final allocation.
The 2024 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships will be held over a four-day period, March 20-23, at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Men's 1-Meter Championship Results
Women's 3-Meter Championship Results
