NCAA Women’s Championships: North Carolina’s Aranza Vazquez Montano Repeats as 1-Meter Champion

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

NCAA Women’s Championships: North Carolina’s Aranza Vazquez Repeats as 1-Meter Champion

It has been a huge year for North Carolina senior Aranza Vazquez Montano.

Since she swept both springboards last year at the NCAA Championships, she has claimed international medals and is poised to be in the mix at the Paris Olympics.

She kept that momentum going in the 1-meter diving on Day 2 of the NCAA Championships in Athens, Georgia.

She surged into the lead after the third dive of finals. She threw down a 57.60 dive in round four to move her total to 221.90, still in the lead.

In the fifth round, a 61.10 throwdown vaulted her to 283.00 and 16 points in the lead going into the final dive.

On her final dive, Vazquez was even better, a 67.50 to give her a total of 350.50 and clinch another NCAA title.

“It is incredible to me that I could do it again,” she said. “I knew nothing would be given to me and I really like that feeling of hitting my dives no matter what is going on around me. I really like gainers and my three last dives are gainers. I was feeling great in my hurdles. I just had to go for it.”

Texas junior Hailey Hernandez had the top score after prelims, a 305.65, ahead of Vazquez (302.85).

They were the only two divers in the field to best 300 points during NCAA prelims.

Hernandez finished second overall with a 326.20 in the finals.

USC’s Nike Agunbiade claimed third-place with a point total of 319.50.

Vazquez will look to repeat on 3-meter as well.

“Getting in my zone was something I was missing in the morning. I tried to keep too calm and that doesn’t work for me,” she said. “I really felt like myself this afternoon. Tomorrow I know in prelims I can’t get too calm like I did this morning. Those are the things you have to learn from. Tomorrow is definitely going to be a good day.”

Event 6  Women 1 mtr Diving
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 365.75  3/17/2022 Mia Vallee, Miami (FL)
         Meet: M 365.75  3/17/2022 Mia Vallee, Miami (Florida)
         Pool: P 359.35  2/20/2019 Brooke Schultz, Arkansas
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Vazquez Montano, Aran  SR UNC                302.85     350.50   20  
  2 Hernandez, Hailey      JR Texas              305.65     326.20   17  
  3 Agunbiade, Nike        SR USC                292.45     319.50   16  
  4 Oakley, Joslyn         SO TAMU               298.70     311.60   15  
  5 O'Neill, Bridget       SR Texas              285.40     295.50   14  
  6 Widerstrom, Elna       FR Minnesota          286.40     293.65   13  
  7 Monroy, Camyla         FR Florida            297.25     281.10   12  
  8 O'Meara, Margo         JR Duke               290.40     266.80   11  
 
                        === Consolation Final ===                        
 
  9 Nilsson Garip, Emilia  FR Utah               278.95     314.90    9  
 10 Kaye, Elizabeth        JR Virginia           277.80     300.30    7  
 11 Prasanto, Holly        JR Rutgers            285.20     299.20    6  
 12 Waxman, Holley         JR Utah               279.45     290.75    5  
 13 Lavenant, Montserrat   SR LSU                274.20     283.95    4  
 14 Lai, Shiyun            FR Kansas             270.90     280.25    3  
 15 Wenzel, Meghan         SR Georgia            272.40     278.65    2  
 16 Fowler, Anne           SR Indiana            281.80     266.05    1

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