For the second consecutive season, two Ball State divers have qualified for the NCAA zone meet at Bloomington, Ind in March. But unlike last season, both seniors Whitney Adams and Christina Riordan plan to compete in the zone meet.
Last season, Adams did not compete because of personal reasons and Riordan did not compete because of a broken foot injury she suffered before the Mid-American Conference Championships. To qualify for the meet, both divers needed to have scores above 280 for 3 meter and 265 for the 1 meter diving.
"It's an accomplishment because you know you dove well enough," Adams said. "It's a sens of accomplishment to know that your hard work is paying off because you're seeing results."
Both divers said reaching the score that qualifies them for the zone meet is something they strive to reach every meet. They said it becomes easier to reach the score once it's been reached early on in the season.
Riordan said she was disappointed with herself after breaking her foot which didn't allow her to compete in the MAC Championships and the zone meet.
"I was upset because I was having an awesome season last year," she said. "I know I could have done well both at MAC and at zone."
Going into this season, Riordan said she had pushed harder to get back to qualifying for the zone meet because she wasn't able to compete last year. She said she knew she had the capability to get there, she just needed to make sure she made the cuts and got the required scores.
For Adams, qualifying for last season's zone meet came as a surprise for her. She said she didn't expect to qualify last season because she wasn't posting the scores needed to qualify early on in the year. When she did qualify, she had already made plans during spring break, which is when the zone meet is held.
The zone Ball State will compete in fields mainly Big Ten schools, which have divers that have competed in the Olympics and World Championship meets. With such heavy competition at the zone meet, Adams said she is confident she will be able to have a successful meet.
"I'm not really looking at a certain place," Adams said. "I just want to go out on a good note since it will be the last meet of my careers."
Diving coach Lisa Maertin, who also qualified for the zone meet as a diver with Ball State, said she has seen improvements in both Adams and Riordan over the years.
"They've both improved so much since I graduated," Maertin said. "My goal for them at the zone meet is for them to make cuts because that will show they are doing better than Big Ten schools."
Even though the competition could intimidate divers competing in their first zone meet, Adams said she doesn't feel any pressure.
"There's no pressure whatsoever," she said. "Normally when you are relaxed, you do perform better."
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