WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Emily Bretscher posted a career-best list score of 369.9 to win bronze on 3-meter, claiming her third career medal on the opening day of the Big Ten Diving Championships on Thursday at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center.
Bretscher improved on her prelim list score by 61.65 points in the final, improving on her eighth-best score in program history. A big score of 74.4 in round 5 on a forward 3 ½ somersault put the senior in position to medal. She held off 2019 Big Ten 3-meter champion Sarah Bacon (Minnesota) by 0.9 tenths of a point for the final place on the podium.
Bretscher's consistency and strong finish were equally important. She averaged an award of 69.3 over the final three rounds and her poorest score of the final was a survivable 49.5 in round 3. Conversely, Bacon missed her round 4 dive and the score of 33 not only dropped her out of the lead, but kept her off the podium. Indiana's Anne Fowler (373.9) and Nebraska's Abigail Knapton (372.2) won gold and silver in a tight competition in which only four points separated first from fourth place.
All six Boilermakers that competed Thursday scored, racking up 49 team points for the women and 48 points for the men. Those totals will be added to the points earned by their swimming counterparts at the other two Big Ten Championships meets over the next week. The women are racing this week in Minneapolis and the men do the same next week in Columbus.
Brandon Loschiavo, Greg Duncan and Ben Bramley finished first, fourth and sixth in the 1-meter consolation final. Maggie Merriman and Maycey Vieta also scored on 3-meter, with Merriman placing 12th in the consolation final and Vieta 17th in the prelim.
Loschaivo won the 1-meter consolation final with a list score of 347.8. He was victorious by 36 points while improving on his prelim list score by 53.6 points. He had only one dive in the consolation final that scored fewer than 50 points. Solid scores of 67.5 in round 4 and 69 in round 6 allowed him to pull away. The fifth-year senior is a two-time Big Ten champion on the tower.
Bramley posted a personal season-best score of 314.5 in the 1-meter prelim, qualifying for the NCAA Zone C Championships in the event. He finished just 1.3 points shy of eighth place and a berth in the championship final, impressing with a nice score of 64.5 in round 4 of the prelim. The junior settled for sixth in the consolation final and will look to medal on the tower for the third straight year Saturday.
Duncan entered the day as a two-time Big Ten bronze medalist on 1-meter, but is competing with a bulging disc in his back this year. He rallied over the final two rounds (52.5, 58.9) of the prelim to qualify for the consolation final. He got off to another slow start in the consolation final but earned awards of 50-plus points in the each of the final four rounds to reach 300 points for his list. The senior is the defending Big Ten champion on 3-meter.
Similar to her teammates on the men's side, Merriman finished strong in the prelim to climb the leaderboard after a slow start. Her two top scores (58.8, 56.7) came in the final two rounds as she earned a spot in the consolation final. The junior nearly match her list score in the consol, finishing with a season best and NCAA Zone qualifying mark of 294.45.
Vieta was not as fortunate after enjoying a more successful start. Her top two scores (49, 54) were in the first two rounds. Below average efforts in round 4 and 5 ultimately cost her an opportunity to compete in the consolation final as the sophomore finished 2.45 points behind the 16th-place finisher. Vieta and Merriman are both at their best on the tower, winning silver and bronze in the event at Big Tens last year. The women's platform event is Friday this year
It was Bretscher's seventh career championship final at Big Tens. She has now won two bronze medals to go with her 2020 Big Ten title on 3-meter. Coincidentally, her score Thursday was better than her gold medal-winning list total (356.75) at Big Tens a year ago.
The Big Ten Diving Championships continue Friday with men's 3-meter and women's platform. Prelims are set for 12:20 p.m. and finals at 6:35 p.m.
2021 Big Ten Diving Championships / Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center / West Lafayette, Ind.
Thursday, Feb. 25
Purdue's Divers Competing
* – Purdue Season-Best Score
^ – Personal Season-Best Score
(Z) – NCAA Zone Qualifying Score
Men's 1-Meter (48 Points)
Brandon Loschiavo, 347.80 (Z) – Won Consolation Final (20 Points)
Greg Duncan, 300.65 (Z) – Finished 4th in Consolation Final (15 Points)
Ben Bramley, 314.50^ (Z, Prelim Score) – Finished 6th in Consolation Final (13 Points)
Women's 1-Meter (49 Points)
Emily Bretscher, 369.90* (Z) – Finished 3rd in Championship Final (27 Points); Improved on 8th Best Score in Team History
Maggie Merriman, 294.45^ (Z) – Finished 6th in Consolation Final (13 Points)
Maycey Vieta, 275.00 – Finished 17th in Prelims (9 Points)
Bretscher improved on her prelim list score by 61.65 points in the final, improving on her eighth-best score in program history. A big score of 74.4 in round 5 on a forward 3 ½ somersault put the senior in position to medal. She held off 2019 Big Ten 3-meter champion Sarah Bacon (Minnesota) by 0.9 tenths of a point for the final place on the podium.
| THURSDAY'S MEDALISTS AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS | |
| Men's 1-Meter Gold: Andrew Capobianco (Indiana), 437.35 Silver: Mory Gould (Indiana), 409.05 Bronze: Lyle Yost (Ohio State), 388.35 |
Women's 3-Meter Gold: Anne Fowler (Indiana), 373.9 Silver: Abigail Knapton (Nebraska), 372.2 Bronze: Emily Bretscher (Purdue), 369.9 |
Bretscher's consistency and strong finish were equally important. She averaged an award of 69.3 over the final three rounds and her poorest score of the final was a survivable 49.5 in round 3. Conversely, Bacon missed her round 4 dive and the score of 33 not only dropped her out of the lead, but kept her off the podium. Indiana's Anne Fowler (373.9) and Nebraska's Abigail Knapton (372.2) won gold and silver in a tight competition in which only four points separated first from fourth place.
All six Boilermakers that competed Thursday scored, racking up 49 team points for the women and 48 points for the men. Those totals will be added to the points earned by their swimming counterparts at the other two Big Ten Championships meets over the next week. The women are racing this week in Minneapolis and the men do the same next week in Columbus.
Brandon Loschiavo, Greg Duncan and Ben Bramley finished first, fourth and sixth in the 1-meter consolation final. Maggie Merriman and Maycey Vieta also scored on 3-meter, with Merriman placing 12th in the consolation final and Vieta 17th in the prelim.
Loschaivo won the 1-meter consolation final with a list score of 347.8. He was victorious by 36 points while improving on his prelim list score by 53.6 points. He had only one dive in the consolation final that scored fewer than 50 points. Solid scores of 67.5 in round 4 and 69 in round 6 allowed him to pull away. The fifth-year senior is a two-time Big Ten champion on the tower.
Bramley posted a personal season-best score of 314.5 in the 1-meter prelim, qualifying for the NCAA Zone C Championships in the event. He finished just 1.3 points shy of eighth place and a berth in the championship final, impressing with a nice score of 64.5 in round 4 of the prelim. The junior settled for sixth in the consolation final and will look to medal on the tower for the third straight year Saturday.
Duncan entered the day as a two-time Big Ten bronze medalist on 1-meter, but is competing with a bulging disc in his back this year. He rallied over the final two rounds (52.5, 58.9) of the prelim to qualify for the consolation final. He got off to another slow start in the consolation final but earned awards of 50-plus points in the each of the final four rounds to reach 300 points for his list. The senior is the defending Big Ten champion on 3-meter.
Similar to her teammates on the men's side, Merriman finished strong in the prelim to climb the leaderboard after a slow start. Her two top scores (58.8, 56.7) came in the final two rounds as she earned a spot in the consolation final. The junior nearly match her list score in the consol, finishing with a season best and NCAA Zone qualifying mark of 294.45.
Vieta was not as fortunate after enjoying a more successful start. Her top two scores (49, 54) were in the first two rounds. Below average efforts in round 4 and 5 ultimately cost her an opportunity to compete in the consolation final as the sophomore finished 2.45 points behind the 16th-place finisher. Vieta and Merriman are both at their best on the tower, winning silver and bronze in the event at Big Tens last year. The women's platform event is Friday this year
It was Bretscher's seventh career championship final at Big Tens. She has now won two bronze medals to go with her 2020 Big Ten title on 3-meter. Coincidentally, her score Thursday was better than her gold medal-winning list total (356.75) at Big Tens a year ago.
The Big Ten Diving Championships continue Friday with men's 3-meter and women's platform. Prelims are set for 12:20 p.m. and finals at 6:35 p.m.
2021 Big Ten Diving Championships / Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center / West Lafayette, Ind.
Thursday, Feb. 25
Purdue's Divers Competing
* – Purdue Season-Best Score
^ – Personal Season-Best Score
(Z) – NCAA Zone Qualifying Score
Men's 1-Meter (48 Points)
Brandon Loschiavo, 347.80 (Z) – Won Consolation Final (20 Points)
Greg Duncan, 300.65 (Z) – Finished 4th in Consolation Final (15 Points)
Ben Bramley, 314.50^ (Z, Prelim Score) – Finished 6th in Consolation Final (13 Points)
Women's 1-Meter (49 Points)
Emily Bretscher, 369.90* (Z) – Finished 3rd in Championship Final (27 Points); Improved on 8th Best Score in Team History
Maggie Merriman, 294.45^ (Z) – Finished 6th in Consolation Final (13 Points)
Maycey Vieta, 275.00 – Finished 17th in Prelims (9 Points)
‼️ #AirbornAdam ‼️@CoachSoldati's impromptu plunge was the highlight of the night in celebrating the first medal of the week at Big Tens. #BoilerUp 💦 pic.twitter.com/Yxp8iVUi6L
— Purdue Diving (@PurdueDivers) February 26, 2021