Results: Prelims | Finals | Dive-by-Dive Scoring | Meet Central
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Steele Johnson of Purdue men's swimming and diving won the national title on the 1-meter springboard in his first career event at the NCAA Championships, becoming the third Boilermaker diver to win an NCAA title.
After qualifying for the championship final with a third-place showing in the prelims, Johnson won the eight-man final with a score of 468.15 that stands as a new Purdue freshman record. He joins six-time NCAA champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist David Boudia (2009-11) as well as Casey Matthews (2013) of the women's team as Boilermaker divers to win NCAA titles.
Boudia also won 1-meter NCAA titles in 2010 and 2011. Johnson's score Thursday was only half a point shy of Boudia's program benchmark (468.65) from 2010. With an All-America honor accompanying Johnson's NCAA title, the Boilers have a had a men's diver earn All-America accolades in 10 of the last 11 seasons.
Coincidentally, the 1-meter springboard is considered Johnson's weakest of the three diving events. He didn't begin competing on 1-meter this season until the 2014-15 campaign was already a month old. The Carmel, Indiana, native finished as the runner-up in the championship final of 1-meter diving at the Big Ten Championships last month, taking second to Michael Hixon of Indiana. Hixon took fifth in the championship final Thursday.
"It was not something I was expecting; I am mainly a 10-meter diver," Johnson said. "We didn't start really doing springboard until the season started and even then I didn't do any 1-meter competitions the first couple meets because I had a hamstring injury. To come in at the end of the season and win an event I never do was something I never expected to happen and I am really happy with how it all went.
"In competition, anything can happen. So I guess I am a little surprised on how well I dove on 1-meter. The fact that dives went as well as they did was good because they normally go well in practice, but in competition things get jittery. Tonight I didn't look at any of the scores. I didn't know my scores, I didn't know where I stood; I thought I was going to come in third. I didn't watch anyone else dive. I just went out and did the dives the best I could, had fun, enjoyed it, and it all worked out well."
Johnson won the 1-meter championship final by 10.85 points over second-place Samuel Dorman (457.30) of the University of Miami. Johnson averaged 78.02 per dive and finished his list with awards of 82.50 and 83.20, his top scores of the day. One individual judge awarded the freshman a perfect 10 on two of his six dives.
Thanks to the 20 team points Johnson earned by winning 1-meter diving, Purdue is in 15th place after the opening day of action at the national championship meet.
Jamie Bissett also competed on 1-meter Thursday and finished 17th in the prelims, one spot shy of a berth in the consolation final. The senior closed his list with his top award (70.50) of the prelims, but was unable to overcome a lackluster score on his second dive.
Bissett and Johnson are scheduled to compete in all three diving events this weekend at NCAAs. The 3-meter competition is Friday and platform Saturday. Purdue had four divers qualify for platform diving.
Guillermo Blanco was the lone swimmer to compete for the Boilers Thursday. The senior placed 49th in the prelims of the 200 individual medley. Blanco is scheduled to compete in the 400 IM (Friday) and 200 butterfly (Saturday) later this weekend.
Action continues Friday with swimming prelims at noon, diving prelims at 2:45 p.m. and finals at 8 p.m. (all times ET).
Purdue Entries on Day One of NCAA Championships
* -- New Purdue Season-Best Score
1-Meter Diving
Steele Johnson, 468.15* - Event Winner (20 Points); NCAA CHAMPION & ALL-AMERICAN
Purdue Freshman-Record Score & 2nd Best in Program History
Purdue's Third NCAA Diving Champion
Jamie Bissett, 341.75 - Finished 17th in Prelims
200 IM
Guillermo Blanco, 1:47.06 - Finished 49th in Prelims
Friday, March 27 - Noon Swimming Prelims, 2:45 Diving Prelims; 8 p.m. Finals (All Times ET)
200 Medley Relay - Stephen Seliskar, Lyam Dias, Austin Flager & Adam Johnston
400 IM - Guillermo Blanco
100 Breast - Marat Amaltdinov & Lyam Dias
3-Meter Diving - Jamie Bissett & Steele Johnson
Saturday, March 28 - Noon Swimming Prelims, 2:45 Diving Prelims; 8 p.m. Finals (All Times ET)
200 Breast - Marat Amaltdinov & Lyam Dias
200 Fly - Guillermo Blanco
Platform Diving - Jamie Bissett, Nate Cox, Steele Johnson & Sean Mokhtari