Vallée, Bacon and Gilliland Win National Titles at the 2022 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championship
by USA Diving
March 21st, 2022 - The Women's NCAA Championship this weekend in Atlanta, Georgia marked the end of the fiercely competitive 2021-2022 collegiate swimming and diving season.
This past weekend, the top collegiate women from universities all over the country gathered in the historic McAuley Aquatic Center - site of the 1996 Olympic Games - to fight for All American status and NCAA titles. Records were crushed on both the swimming and diving sides of the facility, and spectators witnessed remarkable displays on the springboards and platforms.
Thursday, March 17th, proved a strong opening day. Mia Vallée (University of Miami) set a new NCAA record of 365.75 in Women’s 1-Meter and catapulted to the top with two over-3.0 degree of difficulty dives. Sarah Bacon (University of Minnesota) and Aranza Vazquez Montano followed close behind, scoring 356.60 and 354.75, respectively.
In Women’s 3-Meter on Day 2, Bacon returned from her strong Day 1 showing to claim the 3-Meter victory, finishing with 409.25. This is the fifth NCAA win for Bacon, who won the same Women’s 3-Meter event in 2021. Indiana University rounded out the top three, with Kristen Hayden in second (397.2) and sophomore Tarrin Gilliland in third (382.00).
The final day of competition found Gilliland and University of Arizona’s Delaney Schnell in close competition for the platform title. These divers were the only two to compete in all three finals. In the last two rounds, Gilliland pulled ahead for the second win of her collegiate career (372.95). Schnell came in second, scoring 345.10, and Jordan Skilken (University of Texas at Austin) won third with 315.45.
The 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship will continue in Atlanta this coming weekend, with men’s competition beginning Thursday.
Please see the link for detailed results: https://swimmeetresults.tech/NCAA-Division-I-Women-2022/