After a great performance at the Pac-10 Championships, six members of the ASU diving team will head to the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships on Thursday to compete for spots to move on to the NCAA Championships.
Freshman Constantin Blaha, freshman Riley McCormick and junior Cameron Bradshaw will compete for the men’s team, while Junior Brittany Jumer, sophomore Marissa Johnson and sophomore Elina Eggers will compete for the women’s team.
ASU diving coach Mark Bradshaw said this Zone Championship is a big deal because it’s the final chance for the divers to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships.
“This qualifying meet is a really interesting thing because there is a lot of pressure,” Bradshaw said. “It’s a one-time deal. Everyone has one shot to qualify.”
The Zone E Diving Championships take place in Austin, Texas and lasts from Thursday through Saturday.
The top six finishers for the women and the top seven finishers for the men will move on to the NCAA Championships.
Because only a few divers will make it, each dive has to be perfect.
“You feel like you have to be great — to dive awesome,” Bradshaw said. “Usually it’s people who make the fewest mistakes [that advance to the NCAA Championships].”
The competition will start Thursday with the men competing in the 3-meter and the women competing in the 1-meter.
There are 46 women competing in the 1-meter and 25 men competing in the 3-meter.
On Friday, the men and women will switch events. The competition will end Saturday with the platform.
The ASU diving team has had a successful season on both the men’s and the women’s side.
Three of ASU’s divers have been named Pac-10 Diver of the Month just this year. Eggers and Bradshaw took the honors in December, while Blaha earned it for March.
At the Pac-10 Diving Championships, the Sun Devils had divers place in every event. Eggers earned a first-place finish on the platform, a second-place finish on the 3-meter and a third-place finish on the 1-meter.
McCormick placed on the platform. Blaha was first on the 3-meter and second on the 1-meter.
The Sun Devils haven’t done anything special to prepare for this meet. The team has had regular practices.
“It’s a matter of maintaining what we’ve got, keeping that edge and enthusiasm and energy,” Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw knows his group is capable of placing at the Zone E Championships and beating the competition.
“That’s why I recruited these guys,” Bradshaw said. “They’re a talented group.”
Reach the reporter at nklauss@asu.edu
