UCLA
NCAA Championships
Polyakova Finishes Fourth in 3-Meter at NCAA Championships
March 21, 2015 | Swimming & Diving
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NCAA Championships Central
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Bruins qualified for three Friday night finals on day two of the NCAA Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, as freshman Maria Polyakova placed fourth in the 3-Meter, the 200 Medley Relay placed 14th and junior Allison Wine was 16th in the 100 Breaststroke.
The first Bruin to qualify for a championship final since 2013 was Polyakova, who dominated the preliminaries in the 3-Meter to finish first and break her own school record. Bouncing from sixth to fifth to second to fourth through her first four dives, Polyakova nailed a 305B (Reverse 2 1/2 Somersault Pike), with a score of 70.50, to move into first place. Her 5152B (Forward 2 1/2 Somersault 1 Twist Pike) on her final dive cemented her spot in the number one position, as her score of 67.50 completed a six-dive score of 380.60 to shatter her own school record she set last December at the UGA Fall Invitational (361.60). The freshman finished in first place in the prelims by 10.1 points.
In the championship final, Polyakova started slow, but finished strong to place fourth. It was the best showing ever for a UCLA diver at the NCAA Championships and the best finish for a Bruin at NCAA's since 2006 when Kim Vandenberg was the NCAA runner-up in the 200 Butterfly. Polyakova again broke her own school record with a 392.00, six-dive score, including a 72.00 on her 305B and a 75.00 on her last dive, the 5152B.
In the 200 Medley Relay, sophomore Madison White, Wine, senior Noelle Tarazona and sophomore Linnea Mack were 16th in the prelims with a 1:37.59 to make the consolation finals. UCLA was sixth (14th overall) in the evening with a faster time of 1:37.33, as UCLA led off with Mack and finished with White.
Wine recorded her fourth-straight, sub-minute time in the 100 Breast to advance to the consolation finals. Her time of 59.79 was 14th in the morning. The junior was eighth in the consolation (16th overall) with a 1:00.54.
Also in the prelims, freshman Katie Grover and Tarazona each set career bests in the 100 Butterfly. Grover's time of 52.44 was the second-best in UCLA history, a school freshman record and 24th in the prelims, while Tarazona's 52.82 was sixth all-time at UCLA and 31st in the prelims.
Sophomore Annika Lenz just missed out on the consolation finals of the 3-Meter. She had five strong dives, but missed on her fourth, and finished 2.8 back of 16th place. Lenz's six-dive total of 319.85 was a season-best.
In the 100 Backstroke, Mack was 22nd (52.59) and White 33rd (53.19). Junior Katy Campbell finished 49th in the 200 Freestyle (1:47.91), while the 800 Free Relay squad of Grover, senior Ally Loper, Tarazona and senior Monica Dornick recorded a season-best time of 7:10.13.
The last day of the Championships on Saturday opens at 8 a.m. PT with the 200 Back, as White takes to the pool. The sophomore had a season-best 1:53.68 at the Winter Nationals. In the 100 Free, Grover, Mack and White are entered. Mack set a UCLA record with a 48.46 in December, Grover posted a season-best 49.47 at USC, while White's season best was a 49.90. Wine swims in the 200 Breast after setting a career-best 2:15.86 at USC.
The Bruin butterfliers, Grover and Tarazona, swim in the 200. Tarazona had a season-best 1:55.51 at Pac-12's, while Grover recorded the sixth-best time in UCLA history with a 1:55.88 at USC. In the 400 Free Relay, White, Mack, Grover and Dornick set a UCLA school record at the Pac-12 Championships with a 3:15.94. Campbell will then conclude the prelims with the 1650 Free. She set a school record at Pac-12's with a 16:00.34.
Lenz carries the Bruin flag in the Platform Diving on Saturday, starting at 10:45 a.m. PT. She set a school record at Pac-12's with a 323.15.
Live streaming coverage and live results of the Championships will be available online. Saturday's morning session will be streamed live on NCAA.com. ESPN3 will stream the finals, which begin at 4 p.m. PT.
Players Mentioned
