So you want to become a NCAA champion! Here is the process, with a bit of background information included.
Collegiate divers compete for national champions in three divisions of the National College Administration (NCAA). Colleges are placed in each division based on a number of factors, including the size of the school, level of athletic commitment, and whether scholarships are given to athletes. Diving is an individual event within a swimming and diving program, and a diver’s placement in their event counts toward the overall success of the team. Diving at the collegiate level is contested on one- and three-meter springboard in Division II and III. The Division I championships also include platform diving.
NCAA Division I Championships
Qualifying for the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships for a diver is a two-step process. A diver must first obtain a qualifying score at a bona fide competition. This score qualifies the diver to compete in one of five zone diving competitions. The zone that a diver competes in is based on location. For instance, divers in the Southeast will compete in Zone B, while divers from the west coast will compete in Zone E. From there, divers must compete for a specified number of NCAA qualifying spots at the zone competition.
Qualifying Scores for Zone Competition
Qualifying scores for men and women can come from a dual meet (two schools going head to head), a triangle meet (three schools competing against each other), or a championship meet (multiple schools competing against each other). A diver only has to achieve a qualifying score once in any of the three events; one-meter, three-meter, or platform.
A diver in a dual meet competition must perform six dives. These dives can either consist of six optional dives without a limit on the degree of difficulty (D.D.), or one voluntary dive with an assigned D.D. of 2.0, followed by five optional dives without limit on the D.D. Either of these formats is acceptable and is agreed on by the coaches prior to the meet.
In championship meets, the competition consists of six optional dives without limit on D.D. The exception for this is for women on platform, who only compete five optional dives.
Men’s Division I Qualification Standards
- One-Meter Diving Points: Dual Meet - 290; Championship Meet - 300 *
- Three-Meter Diving Points: Dual Meet – 310; Championship Meet - 320 *
- Platform Diving Points: Dual Meet – 290; Championship Meet - 300 *
Women’s Division I Qualification Standards
- One-Meter Diving Points: Dual Meet - 255; Championship Meet - 265 *
- Three-Meter Diving Points; Dual Meet - 270; Championship Meet - 280 *
- Platform Diving Points: Dual Meet - 260; Championship Meet - 225 #
* qualifying point total when using six optional dives with standard degree of difficulty
# qualifying point total when using five optional dives with standard D.D.
Zone Competition
After making it to a zone championship, divers compete for a predetermined number of qualification spots allocated to each zone. Each zone receives four automatic qualifying spots for men, and four for women. The remainder of the spots for each zone is based on how divers from that zone finished in the prior years NCAA championships. For 2009, 35 spots are available for the men's championships, and 41 for the women.
Determining who qualifies at the zone gets a bit confusing. It is based on finishes in each of the three events. For instance, the winners of each of three events receives an automatic bid. If a diver wins both platform and three-meter, then the second place finishers on one- and three-meter receive a bid. It can be confusing to someone who hasn't gone through the process.
NCAA Zone Diving Championships
- Zone A
Alumni Arena Natatorim
University of Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.
March 12-14, 2008
Qualification Spots Available: 5 Men / 4 Women
- Zone B
Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.
March 13-15, 2008
Qualification Spots Available: 11 Men / 10 Women
- Zone C
University Aquatic Center University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minn.
March 13-15, 2008
Qualification Spots Available: 8 Men / 10 Women
- Zone D
Mizzou Aquatics Center
University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.
March 13-15, 2008
Qualification Spots Available: 5 Men / 10 Women
- Zone E
Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center
University of Texas, Austin, Texas
March 12-14, 2008
Qualification Spots Available: 6 Men / 7 Women
The Championships
Women's 2009 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships
March 19-21, 2009
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
Men's 2009 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships
March 26-28, 2009
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
2008 NCAA Division I Diving Champions
- Women's One-meter - Emma Friesen (Hawaii)
- Women's Three-meter - Chelsea Davis (Ohio State)
- Women's Platform - Brittany Viola (Miami)
- Men's One-meter - Chris Collwil (Georgia)
- Men's Three-meter - Reuben Ross (Miami)
- Men's Platform - Sean Moore (Ohio State)
