Results: Prelims | Finals | Dive-by-Dive Scoring
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GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Mary Beth Dunnichay's fifth-place finish in 1-meter diving and first career All-America honor highlighted the opening day of action at the NCAA Championships for Purdue women's swimming and diving.
Dunnichay rallied in the final two rounds of the prelims to finish eighth and qualify for the championship final Thursday evening. She got off to a strong start in the finals but ultimately placed fifth to improve three spots on her prelim showing. She posted a Purdue season-best score of 323.20 in the finals, averaging a score of 53.87 per dive.
Dunnichay's performance gave the Purdue women a diving All-American in 11 of the last 12 years. She also earned All-America acclaim in her first event in her first appearance at the NCAA Championships. Dunnichay was one of two Big Ten divers to qualify for the 1-meter finals, joining Minnesota's Yu Zhou, who finished third.
Dunnichay earned 14 team points for the Boilermakers. Purdue is 21st place after the opening day of action at the national championship meet. Seven Big Ten teams scored Thursday and the Boilers rank third among them.
Kaersten Meitz, Allie Davis and Francesca Marr also represented Purdue in the swimming events Thursday. Meitz (22nd, 4:42.39) and Davis (28th, 4:43.30) both posted top 30 showings among a field of 57 swimmers in the prelims of the 500 freestyle. Both Boilers finished about three tenths of a second off of their season-best times. Marr raced in the 200 individual medley (2:02.25) because she was eligible to do so, but it was her lowest-ranked event of the week. The London native qualified for NCAAs via the breaststroke events.
The 1-meter prelims began with a field of 45 divers. Dunnichay averaged a score of 50.96 per dive to finish with a list score of 305.75. She earned awards of 54.60 and 54.00 on her final two dives of the prelims, respectively, to leapfrog a number of divers into the valuable eighth-place position that earned her the final spot in the championship final.
Dunnichay is Purdue's first full-fledged All-American in 1-meter diving since Erin Mertz in 2010.
Friday is the Boilers' busiest day of the three at NCAAs this weekend. Purdue will have all eight swimmers competing and be represented in four events - the 200 free (Rhiannon Sheets, Davis and Meitz), 100 breaststroke (Emily Fogle and Marr), 3-meter diving (Dunnichay) and 800 free relay (Abby Jagdfeld, Nika Karlina Petric, Davis and Sheets).
Purdue Entries on Day One of NCAA Championships
* - Purdue Season-Best Time/Score
1-Meter Diving
Mary Beth Dunnichay, 323.20* - Finished 5th in Finals (14 Points); ALL-AMERICAN
500 Free
Kaersten Meitz, 4:42.39 - Finished 22nd in Prelims
Allie Davis, 4:43.30 - Finished 28th in Prelims
200 IM
Francesca Marr, 2:02.25 - Finished 68th in Prelims
Purdue's Remaining Schedule at NCAA Championships
Friday, March 20 - 11 a.m. Swimming Prelims, 1:45 p.m. Diving Prelims; 7 p.m. Finals
200 Free - Allie Davis, Kaersten Meitz & Rhiannon Sheets
100 Breast - Emily Fogle & Francesca Marr
3-Meter Diving - Mary Beth Dunnichay
800 Free Relay - Rhiannon Sheets, Abby Jagdfeld, Nika Karlina Petric & Allie Davis
Purdue expected to race in heat 1 of finals session
Saturday, March 21 - 11 a.m. Swimming Prelims, 1:45 p.m. Diving Prelims; 7 p.m. Finals
200 Breast - Emily Fogle & Francesca Marr
200 Fly - Rhiannon Sheets
Platform Diving - Mary Beth Dunnichay & MacKenzie Tweardy
1650 Free - Allie Davis & Kaersten Meitz