Georgia’s Meghan Wenzel earns NCAA championship berth in diving

ATHENS, Ga. – Senior diver Meghan Wenzel earned her third-consecutive NCAA Championships berth as competition began Sunday at the 2024 NCAA Zone B Diving Championships at Bauerle Pool at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

Wenzel placed sixth in the 1-meter final with a score of 555.20, securing her third straight appearance in the event at NCAAs, which take place next Thursday, March 21 at Gabrielsen. In previous NCAA appearances, the Hatfield, Pennsylvania native placed 22nd in 2022 and 38th last year in Knoxville. At the SEC Championships last month, Wenzel posted a career-best fourth-place finish in the event.

After sitting in 27th place through two rounds in prelims, Wenzel earned a 50.40 on her third dive and began climbing up the standings, finishing the session in eighth place with an overall score of 264.70. In finals, her first four dives each earned strong scores before her fifth attempt received a 52.00 mark and effectively clinched her spot in the national field.

With Wenzel’s qualification, 13 members of the Georgia women’s swimming and diving team will stay home for the NCAA Championships.

In the 1-meter prelims, freshman Michelle Cummo continued a great stretch run to her first season with a 20th-place score of 245.40. Cummo finished strong with marks of 46.80 and 45.00 on her final two dives. Sophomore Hannah Stumpf finished close behind in 23rd place with a score of 243.00.

The NCAA Zone B Championships continue tomorrow with the men’s 1-meter and women’s 3-meter events. The men’s session begins at 11 a.m., followed by the women’s round at 3:15 p.m. The top seven men’s finalists and top eight women’s finalists will automatically qualify for NCAAs.

Admission is free to all fans at Gabrielsen Natatorium. Live results are available at https://gado.gs/zones24.

RESULTS

Women’s 1-meter (Final)

6. Meghan Wenzel – 555.20

Women’s 1-meter (Prelims)

8. Meghan Wenzel – 264.70

20. Michelle Cummo – 245.40

23. Hannah Stumpf – 243.00