UCLA
NCAA Zone E Diving Championships
Belanger Earns Second NCAA Berth
March 06, 2018 | Swimming & Diving
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. โ For the second straight day, UCLA diver Eloise Belanger posted an NCAA Championships-qualifying score at the Northern Arizona-hosted 2018 NCAA Zone E Championships. The junior, who tallied a cumulative score of 671.75 to notch a second-place finish on 3-meter Tuesday, will look for a clean sweep of events when she attempts to qualify on platform Wednesday.
Teammate Ciara Monahan joined Belanger in the final round, but the senior finished outside of the top nine, taking 14th (592.05).
Five divers recorded preliminary-round scores of at least 323.45 Tuesday, with Belanger earning her final-round spot with a 333.90 effort. She got off to a hot start, scoring 56.70 on her 405C first dive. The Montreal, QC, Canada native proceeded to turn in scores of 58.80 (107C), 61.50 (205B) and 58.50 (5152B) down the stretch to propel her into the final.
Monahan also came through in the clutch, as divers placed 8-13 were separated by just 7.85. The Woodland Hills, Calif. native opened her round with a 54.60 on her 5235D and rounded out her effort with a 57.50 305C (fourth dive) and a 56.70 405C (sixth). Alice Yanovsky rounded out the Bruin effort in the middle of the pack, taking 30th (247.55). Her highest-scoring dive was her final one, a 405C that earned the freshman a mark of 49.95.
For the second straight day, Nevada's Sharae Zheng claimed the top spot. The senior notched a total score of 762.35. Belanger averaged a 56.31 mark on her final six dives to maintain a hold on the second spot. The Bruin junior will make a return to NCAAs on 3-meter after not qualifying in 2017. She made appearances on 1-meter and platform in 2017 and competed in all three events as a freshman.
Divers will take tackle platform Wednesday on the final day of competition. Once again, the top 18 preliminary-round performers will earn a final-round spot. Just the top eight are guaranteed NCAA bids. Having already qualified in two other events, Belanger needs just a top-12 finish.
Live scoring will continue to be available at DiveMeets.com.
Players Mentioned
