California Baptist University
NCAA Zone E Qualifiers
Gael Jimenez Earns First National Championship Bid for CBU Diving
3/6/2023 7:43:00 PM | Swimming and Diving
FEDERAL WAY, WA – True freshman Gael Jimenez has performed tremendously for the California Baptist University men's diving team all season. Today, the hard work paid off as he qualified for the 2023 NCAA National Championship in the 1-meter springboard event. Jimenez becomes the Lancer to outright qualify for the Division I national championship in the swim and dive program.
Jimenez finished the day with a score of 716.45 to take sixth in the finals of the 1-meter springboard event in the Zone E qualifiers, earning his ticket to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for a go at the national championship March 22-25. He finished ahead of Bjorn Markentin (8th place - 676.80) from Arizona who was an NCAA Championship finalist last year in the 1-meter event.
Jimenez needed to finish in the top seven to advance to Minneapolis. Jimenez is the first WAC diver to make the NCAA Championship since UNLV's Tazman Abramowicz qualified for the 1-and-3-meter events in 2019.
‼️𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗‼️
Gael Jimenez has qualified for the 2023 NCAA National Championships in the 1-meter springboard event! Nationals will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota later this month!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/jsxGM0ua5g— California Baptist Swim/Dive (@CBUswim) March 7, 2023
Teammate Evan Honer also competed in the finals of the 1-meter event, finishing with a score of 595.35 to come in 12th place on day one. That qualifies Honer for a provisional spot in the event in Minnesota. Should Honer qualify outright in the 3-meter or platform event, he could also compete in the 1-meter event at Nationals.
Fellow true freshman John Angelovic got his first taste of NCAA postseason action on Monday, finishing 21st in the preliminary round with a score of 254.35.
Natalia Bedolla made it through the preliminary field of 49 divers to make the women's 3-meter event finals. She finished the contest in 17th place after posting a score of 536.45.
Competition continues on Tuesday as the men move up to the 3-meter event, and the women have a go on the platform.
Players Mentioned
