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AUBURN, Ala. – Florida State diver Molly Carlson punched her ticket to her third NCAA Championships on Monday night by finishing fifth on 3-meter with a score of 644.35 at the Zone B Championships at the James E. Martin Aquatic Center.
Carlson was consistent over all 12 dives, never suffering any setbacks during prelims or finals. In fact, the Toronto, Ontario, native never fell out of an NCAA qualifying position.
The junior tallied 316.55 out of prelims to advance to finals in fourth place in a very tight field, as 25.30 points separated the top seven divers.
Carlson teetered between fourth and fifth place in finals, adding a total of 327.55 for a final score of 644.35.
Junior Ayla Bonniwell finished her first event at zones in 17th place with a score of 567.90. The Ithaca, N.Y., native tallied 288.80 for 10th place out of a competitive prelim as 28 points stood between eighth and 18th place. Bonniwell added 279.10 in finals, scoring big on both her back 2 ½ somersault (58.80) and back ½ somersault, 2 ½ twist free (53.20).
Junior Cameron Thatcher and sophomore Joshua Davidson overcame a sluggish start in one of the toughest 1-meter fields in the nation, in order to easily advance to finals. Thatcher advanced in seventh place with a score of 333.70 ahead of Davidson in 14th place at 307.65.
In finals, Thatcher averaged a total of 50.51 per round to finish in 11th place for a final score of 636.75, while Davidson tallied 53.86 in order to move up and finish in 12th (630.80).
“Molly had a great first day,” FSU head diving coach John Proctor said. “The guys were right there at times and we just couldn’t finish. This is the hardest zone in the country, and there are very few NCAA spots. Tomorrow is a strong day for us, so we’ll need to get some rest and get ready to go.”
The women’s 1-meter prelims will begin at 11 a.m. CT followed by finals at 2 p.m. The men’s 3-meter prelims will start at 4 p.m. CT, with finals beginning at 6:15 p.m. The top nine divers in women’s 1-meter will advance to NCAAs and the top seven on men’s 3-meter will qualify for NCAAs.
Carlson can add 1-meter to her NCAA list if she finishes within the top 12, while Thatcher and Davidson and add 1-meter to their list if they qualify on 3-meter since they finished within the top 12.
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The Schedule (CT):
Tuesday, March 12
11 am – Women’s 1-meter prelims
2 pm – Women’s 1-meter finals (18 divers)
4 pm – Men’s 3-meter prelims
6:15 pm – Men’s 3-meter finals (18 divers)
Wednesday, March 13
10 am – Women’s platform prelims
12 pm – Women’s platform finals (18 divers)
2:15 pm – Men’s platform prelims
4:15 pm – Men’s platform finals (18 divers)
Divemeets: https://secure.meetcontrol.com/divemeets/system/meetinfoext.php?meetnum=5831
For more information about FSU swimming and diving visit Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
