Sophomore diver Kent DeMond finished 15th in the nation in the platform event on March 26 at NCAA championships in Minneapolis, Minn.
Despite his impressive performances so far this year, DeMond's preliminary round score of 457.25 was not enough to qualify him for the final round of competition. Only the top eight divers advanced; DeMond finished less than 20 points behind the eighth-place diver in the preliminary round.
Auburn's Matthew Bricker claimed the crown, finishing first in the preliminaries with a score of 567.05 and a final round score of 604.35.
DeMond was one of 23 divers to qualify for the championship meet based on the strength of their performances at NCAA Zonals. DeMond qualified by winning the Zone A Regional in Annapolis, Md., on March 16 with a score of 502.90.
The zonal title was by no means easy to come by. DeMond and Pittsburg diver Denis Nemtsanov, the eventual runner-up in the division, battled back and forth throughout the competition. After DeMond went into the final round in first place, Nemtsanov hurdled past him with his dive, only to have DeMond reclaim the top spot for good on his own final dive.
As an automatic qualifier in the platform event, DeMond was also able to compete in the one-meter event at NCAAs on March 24. He placed 31st overall in the field of 35 with a score of 258.45. Arizona State's Joona Puhakka took first place with a preliminary round score of 386.00 and a final round tally of 421.05.
DeMond competed at NCAA championships as a freshman in March 2002. That year, he also won the platform event at Zonals. He then finished 22nd in the platform event, 27th in the three-meter event and fourth in the one-meter event at NCAAs.
Lone qualifier
While DeMond was the lone Tiger to qualify for NCAA championships, he was not the only Princeton diver at Zonals. He was accompanied by two freshmen, Charlotte Jones and Stuart Malcolm.
Jones finished 10th in the one-meter event, with a score of 455.25, and 13th in the three-meter event, with a score of 391.50.
Malcolm finished seventh in the platform event, with a score of 411.65, and 15th in the one-meter event, with a score of 492.65.
DeMond also competed in the one-meter at Zonals, finishing 13th with 512.40 points.
No male Princeton swimmers qualified for the NCAA swimming championships, which were held at the same time as the diving competition in Minneapolis.
Senior captain Stephanie Hsiao was the women's squad's lone representative at NCAA championships, competing in West Lafayette, Ind., over spring break.
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