At the collegiate level, diving has long been in swimming's shadow. Perhaps confused by many as one of the myriad individual events at a competitive swim meet, diving rarely receives the same spotlight as its brother sport attracts.
This past weekend, however, the divers stepped out from underneath swimming's shadow and competed alone. Six determined Tigers traveled to Rutgers to compete at the NCAA "A" Zone Diving meet with hopes of earning a spot to dive at the NCAA Championships. Once the points were tallied, junior Stuart Malcolm and senior Michelle DeMond both won first on the platform to claim their spots in Minnesota.
The annual Zone Diving meet is one of the few opportunities Princeton divers have to compete alone, without having to share pool time with their swimmer teammates. Though the meet lacks the constant movement from one swimming event to the next, the spirit, cheering and team support on display during the Zone Championships are unrivaled.
"Many of the swimmers came and watched, which was a big help," Malcolm said. "There was [a lot] of cheering and support from the swimming side."
Despite the presence of their teammates, the all-diving meet is a unique competition, giving the athletes an opportunity to concentrate solely on individual events without team pressure.
"A meet with just diving events is usually fun because it's a very individual competition. Usually you are out to score points for your team, but this one is purely for yourself," Malcolm said. "It's also nice to have a diving only competition because that's how Nationals, etc. are run, and that's what most divers are used to. The advantage for only diving events is that you are able to concentrate on your diving more; it's all about diving, and there is more time to practice in between."
The all-diving competition also introduces several disadvantages, however.
"When it is just a diving event, there are a lot more competitors, so the meet is longer and more tiresome. I think this meet had a completely different atmosphere and mentality than our conference meet," DeMond said. "At the conference meet, I felt a lot more pressure and wanted to dive well to score points for the team. At Zones, everyone is pretty much diving for themselves. It is definitely hard to keep yourself motivated to train and dive at Zones after an intense meet like [Ivy] Championships."
Princeton divers compete at the Zone "A" meet, one of five divisions spanning the country. Stretching from Maine to New Jersey, Zone "A" includes not only the Ivy League schools, but also several top-performing, larger schools like Penn State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse. The only way to qualify for the NCAA meet is to win either the 1-meter or platform or place first or second on the 3-meter.
Impressively, both DeMond and Malcolm stepped up Sunday to win the platform dives in their respective divisions. Malcolm set a new Princeton platform record, scoring 641.60 points, more than 27 points ahead of second-place Michael McDowell of Buffalo. Malcolm's new record adds to the 3-meter dual meet record he set last year. DeMond's 498.55 points helped her claim the platform competition, defeating second-place sophomore teammate Peggy Kearns, who scored 453.50 points.
DeMond traveled to Minnesota yesterday with freshman swimmer Alicia Aemisegger to represent the Tigers at NCAAs, while Malcolm will travel the weekend before spring break for the men's competition.
Read More
Preview: Football names captains and looks ahead to their first game
Lily PampolinaPrinceton football kicks off their season Saturday at noon at home against University of San Diego. The team hopes to get back on track after a disappointing season last year.
Princeton football kicks off their season Saturday at noon at home against University of San Diego. The team hopes to get back on track after a disappointing season last year.
By the Numbers: Goals and medals for the Tigers’ start to the fall
Harrison BlankThis week in By the Numbers, women’s cross country took first in their first two meets, led by sophomore Meg Madison. Amid these accomplishments, the Tigers won over three-fifths of their games and had winning records both at home and on the road.
This week in By the Numbers, women’s cross country took first in their first two meets, led by sophomore Meg Madison. Amid these accomplishments, the Tigers won over three-fifths of their games and had winning records both at home and on the road.
Late goals lift men’s soccer past University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2–0
Harrison Blank and Matthew YiMen’s soccer overcame a slow start to beat the Minutemen.
Men’s soccer overcame a slow start to beat the Minutemen.