ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– Four members of the Navy diving team will travel to Greensboro, N.C., this week to compete in the NCAA Zone A Diving Championship. The event being contested Thursday through Saturday in the Greensboro Aquatic Center will determine the zone's qualifiers for the NCAA Championship.
Competition begins daily at 10:30 a.m. Thursday's slate includes the women's one meter and men's three meter, Friday's schedule features the women's three meter and men's platform with the men's three meter and women's platform being contested Saturday.
Each of the five zone meets will qualify a different number of divers for the NCAA Championship. Zone A has been allocated five divers in the women's one meter and platform events and six in the women's three-meter competition. On the men's side, the zone will send four platform divers, five from the three-meter board and six from the one-meter event.
Divers who qualify in one event and also place among the top-12 finishers in another will be able to compete at the NCAA Championship in the additional events.
Meghan Gerdes (Sr., Spring, Texas) is competing in the zone meet for fourth time in her career. She placed second in platform diving and eighth on the three-meter board in 2019, as well as fourth in platform at the 2020 event. Gerdes is entered into the three meter and platform events this year.
Hannah Montau (Jr., Germantown, Md.) has advanced to the zone meet for the third time. Her top finishes at the event are a third-place showing in platform diving in 2019 and fifth-place finishes in the one meter and platform events in 2020. Montau will compete in all three events this week.
Patrick Carter (Sr., West Islip, N.Y.) is making his second appearance at the zone meet in his career. He previously placed 15th in the three-meter event and 20th on the one-meter board in 2018. Carter is slated to take part in all three events in North Carolina.
Jake Hedrick (Sr., Hummelstown, Pa.) has advanced to the zone meet for the fourth time. He has posted four top-10 showings at the championship, finishing in fourth place in platform diving in 2019, ninth on the three-meter on both '19 and '20 and 10th in platform diving last year. Hedrick too will compete in each of the three events in the coming days.
Gerdes (2019, '20), Montau (2019, '20) and Hedrick (2019) each previously advanced out of the zone meet to the NCAA Championship.
Greensboro also will play host to this year's NCAA Championship meets. The women's championship will run March 17-20 and the men's event will run March 24-27.
