UCLA
NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships
Belanger, Grover Shine on Day 3 of NCAAs
March 16, 2018 | Swimming & Diving
COLUMBUS, Ohio โ A pair of Bruins reached "B" finals on Day 3 of the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championships Friday at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, giving UCLA nine points in the process. Senior swimmer Katie Grover reached the first final of her collegiate career with a time of 1:44.36 in the 200 Free, while junior diver Eloise Belanger checked in with a score of 348.35 in the 3-meter consolation final.
The preliminary round of the 200 Free featured a pair of Bruins. Kenisha Liu touched the wall at 1:47.02, outside of final-round qualification. Grover, though, made the most of one of her final swims as a Bruin, checking in at 1:44.36 for the 14th best time of the morning session. She would return in the evening in the "B" final, which she took seventh in with a time of 1:44.80. The finish was good for two points toward the UCLA cause. Grover was also part of the 800 Free Relay quartet that notched six points for the Bruin cause on Day 1.
Emma Schanz was also busy Friday, clocking in at 53.64 in the preliminary round of the 100 Back.
On the diving side, Belanger had a standout day on 3-meter. The Montreal, QC, Canada native just missed a trip to the "A" final, finishing ninthโjust shy of the necessary eighth-place-or-better standing. An illustration of the depth of the field, Belanger turned in a score of 332.30 in the preliminary round. Included in her list were three dives scored at 60.20 or aboveโincluding a 64.50 5152B final dive.
Just missing the "A" final did not phase Belanger, who stayed in the top three throughout the consolation round. Each of her attempts earned a score of 54.00 or above, while her final two went for identical scores of 63.00. Her final score totaled 348.75, second only to Olivia Rosendahl of Northwestern (375.70).
Saturday will mark the final day of competition. Belanger (platform), Grover (200 Fly), Liu (100 Free), Schanz (200 Breast) and Sandra Soe (1650 Free) will all participate for UCLA. Swimming trials begin at 7 a.m. (PT) and can be streamed HERE. Diving trials will begin at 9:15 a.m. and can be seen HERE. Early 1650 Free heats can also be streamed HERE beginning at 12:45 p.m., while all finals can be watched on ESPN3 (3 p.m.).
The rankings after Day 3 are as follows:
1. Stanford โ 414
2. California โ 268
3. Texas A&M โ 186
4. Texas โ 171
5. Louisville โ 168
6. Michigan โ 150
7. Tennessee โ 137.5
8. Minnesota โ 134
9. Indiana โ 124
10. Virginia โ 106
28. UCLA โ 15
Players Mentioned
