By Michael Scheck
Staff Writer
The Emory women's diving team performed excellently at the Emory Diving Invitational on Saturday. The Eagles placed first out of three teams that competed at the invitational.
The invitational included two three-meter diving events, one consisting of 11 dives and the other of six dives, and a one meter event, consisting of 11 dives. All three Emory divers had a successful day on the board, taking the meet with a total of 106 points.
Leading the Eagles on the three-meter 11-dive and one-meter events was freshman Mara Rosenstock. She notched a NCAA qualifying score of 461.95 in route to her first place finish in the three-meter, and she reached another NCAA qualifying score of 455.70 in route to her first place finish in the one-meter.
Going into her first invitational, Rosenstock was inspired by her teammate, junior Kellen Hope.
"I thought we all did well because it was definitely a new experience for us," she said. "Kellen Hope, a junior on the dive team, was dealing with a lot of injuries at the time. She was able to push through them and dove amazingly!"
Hope placed first in the six-dive three-meter event. She finished with a score of 225.55, earning her the first place mark. However, Hope's best event was the one-meter. She recorded a personal best score of 437.05, which was good enough for third place and a NCAA qualifying mark.
"[Hope] qualified for NCAAs even though she was in so much pain. She's a huge inspiration and a great role model for all of us," Rosenstock said.
Hope was particularly proud of her one meter performance.
"I am happy with my performance at the dive invitational yesterday, but I'm really pleased with how I did on the one meter," she said.
Hope was initially nervous going into the meet, but was calmed by the meet's environment.
"This was our first 11-dive meet of the season, so I was a little nervous about how it was going to turn out," Hope said. "However, it wound up being a really great day. Going up against friendly competitors and having friends and families cheering, in my mind, created a fun, relaxing atmosphere, which helped my performance."
The last competitor for the Eagles was freshman Natalie Bauer. Bauer placed third in the six-dive three-meter event with a score of 153.65.
"I am really proud of my teammates because we are improving each meet, and I can't wait to see how far we will get by the end of the season," Bauer said. "My goal for [the] next meet is to have [a] higher degree of difficulty dives."
The team's last event this fall season will take place following Thanksgiving, at the Miami University (Ohio) Invitational from Dec. 4 through Dec. 6.
– By Michael Scheck, Staff Writer
Eagles Win Season's First Diving Invitational
Freshman Mara Rosenstock dives into the Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC) pool. She secured NCAA qualifying scores in the one-meter and three-meter events last Saturday. Photo Courtesy of Emory Athletics.
