While most athletes use the summer to train for their upcoming season, junior Maggy Boyd, redshirt sophomore Michelle Vale and sophomore Paulina Guzman do not have the luxury of such a break.
The three divers competed July 16-17 in the Senior Zone D Championships with the hopes of qualifying for the AT&T Diving National Championships.
The only Bruin to reach the finals of the 1M springboard was Guzman, who finished 11th overall with a score of 217.00. She bettered her score from the preliminary/quarterfinal round, where she finished seventh, by 2.05 points.
Guzman was less successful in the 3M springboard, placing 23rd overall.
Vale competed for the first time since 2010, placing 16th in the preliminary/quarterfinal round of the 1M with a score of 203.90 and placing 37th in the 3M.
Vale made one mistake on each of the boards, costing her a place in the finals.
Despite a disappointing finish in the 1M competition, Boyd redeemed herself in the 3M by placing 11th overall in the finals with a score of 220.05.
Boyd’s strong performance in the 3M demonstrates UCLA’s movement back to a deeper program. UCLA has typically had a deeper program, with talent in both areas of competition.
One diver that is sure to give the Bruins some depth is incoming freshman Emma Ivory-Ganja, who competed at the Zone C Championship meet in Dallas, Texas. She finished fourth overall in the 3M and platform events, earning scores over 255 in both events.
Ivory-Ganja and her partner also took first place in the 3M and platform synchro events. With her impressive scores, the new Bruin qualified for the Senior National Diving Championships in the 3M, platform and synchro events.
She will be joining recent UCLA graduate Laura Winn, who will be competing on platform. Winn already earned a spot at the Senior National Diving Championships because of her top-12 finish in the USA Winter Nationals earlier this year. Winn has also pre-qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials.
The Senior National Diving Championships, one of U.S. diving’s most prestigious events, will take place August 9-14 at the Spieker Aquatics Center. UCLA will play host to nearly 125 of the nation’s best divers who will be competing for 10 national titles.
The event will also serve as diving trials for the Pan American Games, an important precursor to the Olympics in London next year. Seven members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team are expected to compete at the national championships.
Compiled by Mansi Sheth, Bruin Sports senior staff.