Creedon Wins Platform on Final Day of NCAA Zone A Diving Championships
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sophomore Walker Creedon (Cary, N.C.) finished first on the men’s platform at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships at The Aquatic Center at Mylan Park to qualify for NCAAs and lead the Virginia men’s and women’s diving teams on the final day of competition (March 11) at the zone championship.
Walker punched his ticket to NCAAs for the second straight year with his first-place finish on the platform. The sophomore earned a combined score of 749.35 to win the event by 40 points. He recorded a score of 365.10 to place first in the prelims before capturing a career-best score of 384.25 in the finals to solidify his win.
“I’m proud of the work our divers and Coach Drew (Livingston) have done this season and this week at zones,” head coach Todd DeSorbo said. “This is probably the best represented we have ever been at NCAAs with three women and two men qualifying. It’s great to see their hard work paying off, and the fashion with which they competed, (the women) sweeping one event and Walker (Creedon) finishing it off with a win on the platform, the divers are certainly peaking at the right time. I’m looking forward to watching them compete in Athens and Indy.”
Junior Jocelyn Porter (Cornelius, N.C.) placed sixth on the platform, recording a combined score of 443.25. She recorded a score of 232.45 during the preliminary rounds to advance to the finals where she posted a score of 210.8 for the five round event. Porter qualified for the NCAA Championships on the 3m board on Tuesday. She also advances to the national meet on the platform with her top-12 finish in the event.
Divers that qualified in an event are eligible to compete at the NCAA Championships in any other event, provided that the diver placed in the top 12 at the same zone meet and has achieved the zone qualifying score.
“We capped of a great zone competition today by adding our fifth diver to the NCAA Championship roster,” head diving coach Drew Livingston said. “Walker (Creedon) did a great job competing and winning the event today. It seems like he’s been getting better at every meet on platform this season, so we’re looking forward to keeping the momentum up heading into the championships.
“I really can’t explain how proud I am of everyone on this team. Five qualifiers is a big step forward for our diving program. We can’t wait to group back up with our whole swimming and diving team and make a run at the NCAA Championships.”
In addition to Walker and Porter, Virginia had seniors Bryce Shelton (Vienna, Va.) and Sydney Dusel (Naperville, Ill.) and freshman Jennifer Bell (Pelham, N.Y.) qualify for NCAAs on both springboards.
The Cavaliers will head to the NCAA Championships. The women’s meet will be held March 18-21 in Athens, Ga., while the men’s meet will take place March 25-28 in Indianapolis.