University of Missouri
NCAA Zone D Diving Championships
McKernan Adds Platform to NCAA Schedule at Last Day of Zone Championships
3/7/2018 9:34:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving
MINNEAPOLIS - Mizzou senior diver Madeline McKernan (Montgomery, Texas) garnered her second NCAA Championships qualification Wednesday on the third and final day of competition at the 2018 NCAA Zone D Diving Championships in Minneapolis, Minn. McKernan, who punched her NCAA ticket during day one action, added an invite on platform on Wednesday.
KEY TIGERS
McKernan finished sixth on platform to nab qualify for her second event at next week's NCAA Championships. The senior, who claimed All-America first team honors on platform as a freshman in 2016, posted lists of 267.5 in prelims and 256.2 in finals for a total score of 523.2 on the day. McKernan originally claimed her NCAA invite at Zones on 1-meter after a seventh-place finish on that board on Monday.
Senior Alexa Beckwith (Denver, Colo.) narrowly missed a qualifying bid on platform as she placed 10th, less than two points out of the ninth and final NCAA spot. She concluded her Tiger career with a total tally of 495.0 points, with scores of 234.2 in finals and a career-best 257.8 in prelims.
McKernan will be joined by senior Kendra Kieser (Plano, Texas) at the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, while junior Kyle Goodwin (Aurora, Colo.) will compete at the men's meet. Kieser and Goodwin both qualified to dive the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards at NCAAs earlier in the week at Zones.
QUOTABLES
Mizzou Diving Coach Jamie Sweeney
On the team's overall performance at Zones...
"Overall they were awesome. They worked so hard all year long. I was happy to see them hold it together when it counted the most.Overall we had some unbelievable performances this week."
On Kendra Kieser earning her first NCAA berth...
"It is really nice when the plan works. We had a good plan for every dive in every meet this season. She has a tendency to overthink but this was the first year she recognized where her mental state needs to be to get herself to the right place. That really came into play in 1-meter finals. Then she put down two solid lists on 3-meter."
On Kyle Goodwin's performances...
"Kyle was up against some of the best divers in the world. This was the first year he believed he could mix it up and beat some of those guys. He finally realized how good he is. His game plan was to be rock steady, and for the most part he was."
On Madeline McKernan earning her third-straight NCAA berth...
"Madeline's best event is platform, so it was super nice to be able to knock (the NCAA qualification) out on day one on 1-meter. That really took a ton of pressure off."
UP NEXT
The 2018 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships run Wednesday-Saturday, March 14-17 on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The men's Championships are scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, March 21-24, in Minneapolis, Minn., at the University of Minnesota.
MIZZOU RESULTS
Women's Platform
6. Madeline McKernan (523.7; 256.2 finals, 267.5 prelims)
10. Alexa Beckwith (495.0; 234.2 finals, 257.8 prelims)
13. Payton Conrad (465.45; 224.75 finals, 240.7 prelims)
Men's Platform
13. Hunter Fritter (589.35; 305.15 finals, 284.2 prelims)
14. Andy Kreiter (569.9; 267.95 finals, 301.95 prelims)
17. Will Gottsch (550.3; 284.85 finals, 265.45 prelims)
Players Mentioned
