Cheng Named Pac-12 Freshman Diver of the Year
March 23, 2023 | Swimming & Diving
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA's Eden Cheng has been named the 2023 Pac-12 Freshman Diver of the Year, the league office announced on Thursday morning.
Cheng becomes the sixth student-athlete in program history to be named the Pac-12 Freshman Diver/Newcomer of the Year, and first since Eloise Belanger in 2016.
The London, England native had a standout debut season in Westwood, triple-qualifying for the 2023 NCAA Championships, earning CSCAA All-America honors in platform diving, and setting a school record in platform en route to a podium finish at the Pac-12 Championships.
After missing most of fall competition while recovering from injury, Cheng began her breakout during championship season.
At Pac-12s, she made the finals in all three events and finished top-four overall in both 3-meter and platform. Her performance on tower was especially noteworthy, as she totaled a score of 324.60 to edge out the previous school record of 323.15, set by Annika Lenz in 2015.
She again made the finals in all three events at the 2023 Zone E Championships, highlighted by a runner-up result in platform.
Then at NCAAs, she earned Second Team CSCAA All-America recognition in platform diving after finishing 15th. She became the first UCLA frosh to earn All-America honors in diving since Eloise Belanger in 2016. Cheng also qualified for 1M and 3M at NCAAs, though she did not compete in the former.
Cheng was one of two scoring individuals for UCLA at NCAAs, joining sophomore Paige MacEachern. The Bruins also scored in the 800 free relay.
Stay tuned to @UCLASwimAndDive on Twitter and Instagram for all team updates.
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