FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- Two-time Pac-12 Diver of the Month Maria Polyakova kicked off postseason action for the Bruins with a win when she posted the top mark in the 1-Meter finals of the Pac-12 Championships on Wednesday. The sophomore was joined on the podium by teammate Eloise Belanger, who placed third overall.
In the 1-Meter prelims, Bélanger was one of only two divers to score over 300. With a season-best 312.00, the freshman led the field heading into finals. Polyakova and Annika Lenz checked in at fourth and fifth, respectively. The top eight divers advanced to the finals.
Besting her prelims' score by 34.65 points, Polyakova climbed to the top of the leader board in the 1-Meter finals. Polyakova's season-best 324.80 secured her the top spot on the podium. Stanford's Alex Clay claimed the second-place spot, while Bélanger nabbed third. Lenz placed just outside the top five at sixth.
Between the lane lines, UCLA finished fifth and seventh in the 200 Medley and the 800 Free Relays, respectively. Linnea Mack, Emma Schanz, Katie Grover, and Caroline McTaggart swam a 1:38.92 in the former, while Madison White, Mary Pelton, Alex Hubel, and Sandra Soe clocked in at 7:16.29 in the latter.
UCLA leads the pack through day one with 118.5 of its points coming from Bruin divers. Day two of the Championships start tomorrow at 11 a.m.
Team Scores1. UCLA, 214.5
2. Stanford, 202
3. USC, 154.5
4. California, 154
5. Utah, 125
6. Arizona, 108
7. Arizona State, 96
8. Washington State, 92
9. Oregon State, 86