After four days of competition, the North Carolina diving team placed first overall on the women’s side and second on the men’s side at the Auburn Diving Invitational in Auburn, Alabama. The competition lasted from Wednesday to Saturday and saw the Tar Heels compete against schools like Auburn, South Carolina and Louisiana State.
What happened?
Wednesday began with the men’s 1-meter event, where junior Anton Down-Jenkins scored a 393.25 to earn second place. In the same event, sophomore Alex Hart placed fifth with a score of 307 and first-year Connor Watling finished in sixth with a 297.15.
In the women’s 1-meter dive on Thursday, first-year Aranza Vazquez took first place with a score of 322.40, which was the highest score of the day. Junior Emily Grund placed second with a 300.95, while sophomore Paige Burrell finished in fifth place with a 270.65 and senior Taylor Hockenberry took tenth with a 246.90.
The second day of competition also featured the men’s 3-meter dive, where Down-Jenkins finished in second with a score of 435.90, while Hart placed fourth with a 386.60 and Watling placed fifth with a 349.05.
Friday started with the women’s 3-meter event, where Vazquez took first place yet again with a score of 347.10. Burrell followed in fourth place with a score of 306.20, while Grund took fifth with a 302.20, and Hockenberry placed sixth with a score of 297.25.
During the men’s platform event that followed, Auburn's divers swept the top three spots, with Waitling's score of 292.70 good for fourth place.
On the fourth and final day of competition, during the women’s platform event, Vazquez claimed another victory with a score of 282.75. Grund came second with a score of 280.85 — a personal best — while Hockenberry finished in seventh place with a 218.35.
At the end of the competition, the UNC men placed second overall with a total of 105 points, while the women placed first with 169 points total. Their combined score of 274 was good for second overall.