UCLA
Trojan Diving Invitational
UCLA Places a Pair in Top-Five of 3M at Trojan Invite
November 09, 2019 | Swimming & Diving
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA had all five of its divers make the finals and a pair finished in the top-five of the 3-meter diving championship on day two of the Trojan Diving Invitational at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center.
Fresh off a 1-meter diving title at the invite on Friday, junior Ruby Neave was UCLA's top finisher on Saturday with a fourth-place score of 610.90. Fellow junior Alice Yanovsky joined her in the top-five with a final tally of 592.00.
Both Neave and Yanovsky recorded NCAA Zones-qualifying scores with both their prelims and finals list, punching their tickets to the postseason in those events. Neave had already qualified for Zones in 1M with her performances at the Arizona schools earlier this season.
Freshman Hannah Butler (515.55, 10th), freshman Katie Shaheen (481.95, 12th), and sophomore Veronica Thompson (442.75, 18th) reached the finals as well. The Bruins were the only squad at the invite to have that many divers survive past preliims. All five Bruin divers recorded season-bests in 3M on Saturday.
Yanovsky had one of the strongest showings of any competitor in the morning session, leading halfway through the prelims and ending up in second place with a collegiate-best score of 303.90. She scored at least 48.00 on five of her six dives in prelims, including a 57.40 on her third attempt โ a reverse 2 ยฝ somersault tuck.
Thompson was also a standout in prelims, posting a season-best score of 230.00 while finishing less than a point out of a top-12 spot.
After a solid 295.00 in prelims, Neave stepped her game up in the finals by posting a collegiate-best score of 315.90, the third-best of any diver in either the prelim or final round.
She was one of three Bruins who improved her standing from the prelims to the finals, joining Butler (11th to 10th) and Shaheen (17th to 12th).
USC's Nike Agunbiade was the champion of 3M, posting a final score of 660.50.
The Bruins conclude competition at the Trojan Diving Invitational on Sunday with the women's platform championship.
Players Mentioned
