Three Panthers Qualify for NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships

Monday, March 9

Morgantown, WV

Pitt

NCAA Zone Diving Meet

Three Panthers Qualify for NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships

3/11/2020 5:00:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

PITTSBURGH—Three University of Pittsburgh athletes qualified for the 2020 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships on Wednesday – with swimmer Blaise Vera and divers Serena Buchwald and Amy Read all advancing to the national meet.

Vera will head to Indianapolis for the NCAA Men's Championships from March 25-28 after qualifying for the second straight year, this time earning invitations in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle.

Blaise Vera NCAA Qualify

Sophomore divers Buchwald and Read also booked their places to the NCAA Women's Championships, which will be held from March 18-21 in Athens, Ga., after fantastic performances on platform on Wednesday's final day of action at the NCAA Zone A Diving Meet in Morgantown, W.Va.

Amy Read NCAA

Read advanced to NCAAs for the second consecutive season by winning the Zone A women's platform competition with a final 10-dive score of 503.45, while Buchwald qualified for nationals for the first with a third-place finish on platform with a tally of 477.70.

Over the three days of diving at the NCAA Zone A Diving Meet, nine Pitt athletes were in action.

Also competing on platform Wednesday, seniors Krista Jones (8th, 434.40) and Lisa Coe (17th, 355.75) advanced to women's final, while sophomores Wesley Ahart (14th, 485.95) and Josh Parquet (15th, 483.05) made the men's final as well.

On 1-meter springboard, Read (15th, 505.95) was Pitt's lone finalist, with Buchwald (23rd, 245.05) and senior Cortnee Williams (58th, 180.80) and freshman Meredith Gould (62nd, 167.70) competing for the women. Ahart (21st, 275.30) led the Pitt men on 1-meter, with freshman Dylan Reed (27th, 267.40) and Parquet (28th, 262.60) also in action.

Pitt's efforts on 3-meter springboard were highlighted by finalists Buchwald (15th, 550.85) for the women and Reed (15th, 632.45) for the men just missing out on NCAA qualification in that event. Also diving on 3-meter, Parquet (24th, 280.25) and Ahart (268.35) represented the men, with Jones (39th, 234.20) and Read (45th, 221.85) and Williams (51st, 208.80) competing for the women.

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