Following clutch performances in their last home meet of the season against BYU, the University of Utah diving team traveled to Colorado Springs last weekend, Feb. 2-4, to continue their season at the Air Force Invitational. The Utes put together a collection of strong individual performances, none of which was more impressive than Kathryn Grant’s all-around amazing weekend. 

Day 1

On Thursday, Feb. 2, the meet began with the women’s 3m and men’s 1m events at Cadet Natatorium. The Utes grabbed hold of a lightning-fast start as Grant opened the weekend with Utah’s fourth-highest score ever in the women’s 3m event. 

After the preliminary round of the 3m, Grant sat in seventh place with 278.90 points, firmly in between two other Ute divers, Lizzy DeCecco and Lexi Mills, who placed sixth and seventh respectively. It was Holly Waxman who led the Utes in second with a score of 316.75. However, in the final round, Grant exploded and jumped up five spots ending the event in a close second place with a score of 335.50. Additionally, Waxman just missed the podium in fourth with her more-than-respectable score of 322.80. 

In the men’s 1m, freshman Elias Petersen and senior Jenner Pennock were the only two Utes to make the competitive final round. Petersen finished the best of the bunch in sixth place with a final round score of 341.75, with Pennock finishing 11th with 288.70 points. 

Day 2

On Friday, the second day of the invitational, redshirt senior Luke McDivitt joined the scene putting up his own impressive performance in the men’s 3m championship.

In a field of 36 divers, McDivitt finished third with a final score of 373.75. A podium finish that was fueled by the South Carolina native’s 390.30 point preliminary round score which was only about three points off of his 393.20 point personal record; a dive that is top-five all-time for the Utes in the 3m event. 

“Luke put on another incredible display on 3m and followed up his performance from last week with another great one today,” said head coach Richard Marschner in response to his diver’s performance. “His 12-dive score would have actually had him in first place which is how we scored zones, so once again he showed some consistency, which is key.”

In addition to the men’s 3m, Friday’s competition also consisted of the women’s 1m championship, where sophomore Waxman placed third out of 43 competitors. 

Waxman qualified for the final with a prelim score of 305.50. In the final of the women’s 1m, she improved on her prelim score and ended the event in third place with a final score of 306.70 points. Waxman was the only Utah diver to qualify for the final in the women’s 1m event. 

“The team is having a great meet so far and we’re doing exactly what I’d hoped,” said diving coach Richard Marschner regarding the team’s performance through day two. “Holly is showing some incredible consistency with her diving as she continues to put up scores that will place really well during Pac-12’s and NCAA zones and nationals.” 

Day 3

On the third and final day of the meet, a familiar face led the way as the Utes closed out a strong collective performance in the Air Force Invitational. 

Grant capitalized on her noteworthy day one performance with another strong showing, this time on the women’s platform. After a dominant performance in the preliminary round, Grant held on to first place with a 248.20-point final. Additionally, Grant’s 266.50 score in the preliminary round far surpassed the NCAA Championship qualifying mark for the event. 

“Kathryn polished off an incredible meet for us with her win on tower as we showed remarkable consistency as a team again,” Marschner said. “Her tower will put her right in the thick of things for a podium at Pac-12’s and to fight for a spot at NCAA’s. She’s starting to peak at the right time and I think she’s going to have a very strong finish to the season.”

Grant’s performance in the platform was followed by another pair of great platform dives on the men’s side of the competition. Pennock and McDivitt finished second and third respectively in the men’s platform to give the Utes two out of the three podium spots for the meet’s final event. 

After a 10th-place finish in the preliminary round, Pennock’s final score of 350.00 points saw the diver shoot up eight places in a magnificent finish. Additionally, McDivitt showed staggering consistency as the diver maintained podium status through both the preliminary and final rounds of the event. The silver and bronze finish marked the end of a strong meet for the Utes.

The Utes’ next meet will see them take on the USC Trojans on Feb. 10. Moreover, the meet at USC will mark the last competition before the Utes take on the conference at the Pac-12 Championship. 

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