Consistent performances send divers to NCAA Championships
Sophomore Maria Polyakova finished second in the 1-meter dive at this week’s NCAA Zone E Diving Championships. (Keila Mayberry/Daily Bruin staff)
By Brent Troop
March 10, 2016 12:35 a.m.
Three of the six UCLA divers who traveled to the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships will continue on to the NCAA Championships.
After a short turnaround following their successful performances at the Pac-12 Championships, freshman Éloïse Bélanger, sophomore Maria Polyakova and junior Annika Lenz all qualified for the national championships.
Similar to the conference championships, the three-day meet tested the divers’ conditioning and perseverance as they had to adjust to the increased amount of competitors.
The quarterfinals for the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform dive all had over 50 divers from 21 schools. The added wait time between dives didn’t seem to affect the team, as the Bruins remained consistent when others failed to do so.
“I think the resilience that we have shined through,” said diving coach Tom Stebbins. “Because of the format and how big and long it is, I think the way they managed the events and were able to be successful in that framework was great to see.”
Polyakova finished runner up on both the 1-meter and 3-meter dive. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in both dives and set a season best in the quarterfinals and finals of the 1-meter dive.
“I’m pretty happy with the results because I did what I needed to do,” Polyakova said.
Bélanger joined Polyakova with two top-five finishes as well, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in all three events and finishing fourth and fifth on the 1-meter and 3-meter, respectively.
Building on the success she experienced at the Pac-12 Championships, Bélanger looked to be past the mental block that she struggled with earlier in the year.
“I went into this meet with the same mindset (as Pac-12s) and focused on the things that were important,” Bélanger said.
In addition to Bélanger, Lenz qualified for the NCAA Championships platform dive after finishing fourth in the regional championships platform dive for the third year in a row.
