UCLA
Bruin Diving Invitational
Belanger Wins 1M to Wrap Bruin Diving Invitational
January 20, 2019 | Swimming & Diving
LOS ANGELES – UCLA senior diver Eloise Belanger overcame a tough battle from Stanford's Carolina Sculti to claim the 1-meter championship on Sunday in the Bruin Diving Invitational, giving her two titles in as many as days. Her final score was 609.70.
Belanger, the reigning Pac-12 Diver of the Year who was making her 2018-19 debut with the Bruins, has now fully played catch-up after this weekend. With wins in 1m and platform and a runner-up finish in Friday's 3-meter championship (behind Bruin teammate Maria Polyakova), Belanger has now qualified for NCAA Zone Championships in all three events, the first Bruin to do so this year.
Sophomore Alice Yanovsky was the second-highest finisher for the Bruins, placing 20th with a score of 242.20. Senior Traci Shiver was 27th at 223.80 and senior Madeline Russell was 34th at 212.45.
Belanger and Sculti were in lock-step for practically the entire competition. After Belanger opened up an early lead with a 51.60 on her opening dive, an inward 1 ½ somersault pike, Sculti answered with a 54.60 on her second dive, coming within three points of Belanger. The two remained within five points of each other until the final dive of the prelims, when Belanger recorded just a 41.60 which allowed Sculti to end the prelims in first place with an advantage of almost 10 points.
The finals were a near mirror of the prelims, as Belanger started from behind but slowly cut her deficit until taking over late. Heading into the final dives, the Quebec native and Sculti were separated by less than two points, but Belanger nailed her fifth dive, a back 1 ½ somersault 1 ½ twist free, to score a 55.00 and jump in front of Sculti by 0.95 points.
She came back with a 55.90 on her final dive to cement the victory.
"The early mistakes kinda cost her, though I thought she did some really exceptional things in the prelim," said UCLA head diving coach Tom Stebbins. "For her to stay within reach and then in her last three dives be able to put down three really elite-level dives and get a win in this field is pretty exciting."
The women's 1-meter competition consisted of a 57-diver field.
Stanford's Haley Farnsworth (588.40), Daria Lenz (585.85), and USC's Naomi Gowlett (566.90) rounded out the top-five.
Hawai'I's Johan Sandell, Cal's Connor Callahan, and Hawai'I's Lucas Cooperman were the top three finishers in Sunday's men's platform championship.
The UCLA dive squad is next in action at Stanford on Friday, Feb. 1 and at Cal on Saturday, Feb. 2.
Players Mentioned
