University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Bruins Divers Gear Up For National Competition
June 29, 2018 | Swimming & Diving
LOS ANGELES – With the school year coming to a close, a quartet of Bruin divers finds themselves in the midst of national competitions in their respective countries.
Here in the USA, freshman Alice Yanovsky is set to compete this weekend in the Zone F Championship Meet in Mission Viejo, Calif. with a spot in the 2018 USA Diving Junior National Championships on the line.
Yanovsky, fresh off her first season in Westwood, qualified for the Zone F Championship with a solid showing at the Region 12 meet in Fullerton, Calif. in May. There, she was the fifth-place finisher in the 3M with a score of 414.00 and the 10th-place finisher in the 1m at 358.80.
Should she finish in the top at this weekend's meet, scheduled to run from Jun. 29 to Jul. 1, she will advance to the USA Junior Nationals which begin Jul. 29 in Atlanta, Ga.
Incoming freshman Veronica Thompson is also slated to compete in the Zone F meet after qualifying in the 1m, 3m, and platform.
Though she redshirted this past season for UCLA, senior Maria Polyakova has continued to thrive on the international stage, a trend that has continued this spring.
Most recently, she competed at the Russian National Championships, where she took home a pair of top-two finishes as well as a fourth-place finish in the 3M. She narrowly missed qualifying for the European Diving Championships in the mixed synchro, falling less than a point short of the qualifying line en route to a second place finish, but recovered in the 1m where she finished five points from gold and secured a qualifying spot.
Though she was the fourth-place finisher in the 3m, as the top-ranked Russian diver she was selected to advance to the European Championships in that event as well.
Polyakova will attend a 10-day training camp in Bulgaria before returning to Moscow to finalize her meet prep ahead of the European Championships, held in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is set to compete in the 1M on Aug. 10 and the 3M on Aug. 11.
Last but not least, reigning Pac-12 Diver of the Year Eloise Belanger is preparing to compete in the Canadian Summer Senior Nationals, held in Gatineau, Quebec from Aug. 3-5.
At Nationals, Belanger will look to defend her 1m title as well as compete in the 3m. The Montreal native is attempting to reclaim a spot on the Canadian National Team. Results and a web broadcast can be accessed through Canada Diving's website.
Players Mentioned
