Sephora Ford, Bailee Sturgill Finish 1-2 on Platform at NCAA Zones

Wednesday, March 11

Annapolis, Md.

All Day

Rutgers University

NCAA Zone A Championships

Sephora Ford, Bailee Sturgill Finish 1-2 on Platform at NCAA Zones

Mar 11 | Women's Swimming & Diving

Final Stats

Duo Will Head to NCAAs, where RU has 2 Divers in Each Event

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Rutgers diving completed the third day of action at the NCAA Zone A Championships with its third straight excellent showing, earning two NCAA qualifiers and the top spot on the leader boards for the third straight day. Competing on the platform on Wednesday, Sephora Ford finished first and Bailee Sturgill placed second, with both qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the event.

Overall, Rutgers has two divers heading to the NCAA Championships in each of the three events. Bailee Sturgill will compete in all three – 1M, 3M and Platform. Katerina Hoffman will compete on 1M and 3M and Sephora Ford will compete on the Platform.

Sephora Ford took the crown on platform at the NCAA Zones after finishing on the podium in the Big Ten Championships. Ford scored a 294.80 in prelims and 256.30 in finals for a 551.10 overall score to take the top spot.

Bailee Sturgill had her third straight day with a top-four finish, placing second after previously finishing third on 1M and fourth on 3M. Sturgill scored a 266.90 in prelims and 260.15 in finals for an overall score of 527.05.

Gianna Lawrence also competed for RU, finishing 13^th overall. She had a 183.60 prelims score and 212.40 in finals for an overall score of 396.00.

The divers will compete on the Platform at NCAA Championships on Saturday, March 21. NCAAs will be held in Atlanta, with diving starting on Thursday, March 19. Rutgers will send a diver to the NCAAs for the fifth straight year.