Downs and Mathews Claim 2022 NCAA Titles

April 4, 2022 - Last weekend, the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, GA was once again home to three days of extraordinary diving. The depth of competition at the 2022 Men's NCAA Championships made for a dramatic and inspiring conclusion to the 2021-2022 collegiate swim and dive season.

Thursday, March 24th saw a thickly competitive 1-meter final, in which Australian-born Kurtis Mathews (Texas A&M) edged out Olympian Andrew Capobianco (Indiana University), taking gold with 438.20. Two other Olympians placed in the top 8, including Juan Hernandez (Louisiana State University) of Mexico and Anton Down-Jenkins (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill) of New Zealand.

The second day of springboard competition saw a similar group of men in the final, with Mathews, Capobianco, and Hernandez taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd once again. Entering the final round, Mathews held the lead. The air in the building was tense as four of the eight competitors performed 109c (front four and one half somersaults in the tuck position), all with incredible results. Columbia University's Jonathan Suckow wowed the crowd with a remarkable 109c, scoring 102.60 total points. In the end, Mathews slipped into first, winning with a score of 466.85. Capobianco was just behind (462.10).

Saturday's platform competition was a powerful end to the 2022 NCAA event, with the competition coming down to the last dive. In the final round, Tyler Downs, 2021 Olympian and Freshman at Purdue University, edged ahead of frontrunner Zach Cooper (University of Miami). Downs finished first (447.20), Cooper ended in second (443.05), and University of Tennessee's Bryden Hattie came third (418.70).

For detailed results, click here.