NCAA Men’s Championships: It’s a Springboard Double For Texas A&M’s Kurtis Mathews

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NCAA Men’s Championships: It’s a Springboard Double For Texas A&M’s Kurtis Mathews

For the second time in as many days, Texas A&M diver Kurtis Mathews got the best of Indiana’s Andrew Capobianco at the NCAA Championships in Atlanta. His title in the one-meter springboard still fresh, Mathews added the three-meter crown to his collection on Friday night, this latest championship coming by a margin of only 4.75 points.

When Mathews won the one-meter competition, it marked the first time a male diver from A&M had claimed an NCAA title. The senior didn’t want the school to wait long for its next victory and he took command of the action from the start. Mathews led the way through qualifying and kept the momentum going during the evening session, where he totaled a score of 466.85 points. Capobianco placed second with a score of 462.10, with LSU’s Juan Hernandez placing third with a score of 459.20.

“Diving is interesting because of the six individual rounds,” Mathews said. “Anything can happen in those rounds, unlike swimming, where it’s a continuous race. Anything can really happen, and I was, I don’t know, just lucky.”

Mathews’ credentials suggest he is anything but lucky. Rather, he has developed consistently through the years. A member of the Australian National Team, Mathews has been a standout in the SEC for several years, but this week has marked an elevation in his prowess, a springboard sweep doing the trick.

Having sat out last year’s NCAA season due to National Team duties, Mathews missed the NCAA Champs the prior year due to COVID-19. Mathews is now providing a reminder that he is as good as there is on the college scene. In Capobianco, Mathews has twice beat an American Olympian.

“It feels great,” he said of his championship double. “What a way to wrap up my career. I was coming off yesterday with a little confidence, but it’s a new day and anything can happen. I was consistent and lucky enough to win the gold.”

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Live Results

 Event 13  Men 3 mtr Diving
=========================================================================
         Meet: M 529.10  3/27/2015 Samuel Dorman, Miami (FL)
         Pool: P 517.65  2/26/2017 David Dinsmore, Miami
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Mathews, Kurtis        SR TAMU               447.30     466.85   20  
  2 Capobianco, Andrew     SR Indiana            407.75     462.10   17  
  3 Hernandez, Juan        SR LSU                395.55     459.20   16  
  4 Suckow, Jonathan       JR Columbia           405.40     438.50   15  
  5 Downs, Tyler           FR Purdue             413.95     438.00   14  
  6 Down Jenkins, Anton    SR UNC                404.70     434.80   13  
  7 Duncan, Gregory        SR Purdue             413.30     404.70   12  
  8 Garcia, Leonardo       JR Florida            408.20     397.70   11  
 
                        === Consolation Final ===                        
 
  9 Yost, Lyle             JR Ohio St            369.25     410.60    9  
 10 Duperre, Noah          SO Texas              395.30     409.80    7  
 11 Wang, Shangfei         FR USC                366.30     406.95    6  
 12 Casey, Conor           SR Stanford           370.65     405.85    5  
 13 Wade, Matthew          SR Tennessee          368.20     377.70    4  
 14 Butler, Jake           JR Minnesota          369.05     373.30    3  
 15 Povzner, Victor        SO TAMU               378.85     362.30    2  
 16 Pruitt, Connor         SR Auburn             388.25     353.45    1

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