Zavaleta repeats, two others land top-10 spots

CHICAGO, Ill. -- For the second straight season, Kenyon College's Israel Zavaleta won the NCAA Division III Region 1 Diving Championship on the one-meter board. Friday night at the University of Chicago, he logged a score of 578.95 to top a field of 32 other competing divers.

In addition to the great showing from Zavaleta, a junior, the Kenyon College team saw senior Mason Fishell take third place with a final score of 456.25 and Drew Albrecht, also a senior, score a 424.95 to place tenth. While Zavaleta and Fishell are now assured of NCAA Championship meet qualification, Albrecht is still in the hunt and can seal the deal with a solid performance in the three-meter competition tomorrow.

This year, NCAA Region 1 was allotted space for nine divers to move on to the NCAA Championship, which will be held March 15-18 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Not too far behind that Kenyon trio, was first-year teammate Owen Peterson, who got a taste of his first collegiate regional meet and finished in the upper half of the pack, taking 15th place with a final score of 408.35.

One year ago, at the 2022 Region 1 Championship, Zavaleta finished first with a score of 521.45, Fishell was 13th with a score of 414.45 and Albrecht was 15th with a score of 401.25.

Friday, Zavaleta rang up four dives that scored 60 or more points. His best dive was his sixth dive, an inward 2½ somersault tuck that netted him 69.75 points. Throughout the competition he earned 13 individual judge's scores of 8.0 to go along with a pair of 8.5 scores. He finished the meet strong, gaining scores of 68.80 and 67.50 on his last two dives.

For Fishell, his best dive was the same as Zavaleta's. He used his sixth dive to perform an inward 2½ somersault tuck that got him a score of 51.15. On his next dive, a forward 2½ somersault pike, he scored a 49.90.

Albrecht hit his peak during the seventh round, scoring a 50.40 on an inward 2 somersault tuck. He went out with a 47.50 on his final dive, a back 1½ somersault 1½ twist free.

Rounding out some of Kenyon's top scores, Peterson whipped up a 54.60 on his seventh dive, a forward 2½ somersault pike.

All four Kenyon divers will be back at it tomorrow when the three-meter event gets underway at 4 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Drew Albrecht: Junior

Mason Fishell: Junior

Israel Zavaleta: Sophomore

Owen Peterson: First-Year

Players Mentioned

Drew Albrecht
: Junior

Mason Fishell
: Junior

Israel Zavaleta
: Sophomore

Owen Peterson
: First-Year