Razorbacks wrap up NCAA Zone Diving

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Results

HOUSTON, Texas –  University of Arkansas diver Kesha Naylor had a tremendous outing in the platform finals, but it wasn’t enough to advance herself to the NCAA Championship, as the junior finished fifth with a final score of 546.70.

Freshman Shelby Bartlett also competed in the platform competition for the Razorbacks, finishing 25th with a final score of 170.0. Freshman Hannah Bortnick finished the day 27th overall with a final score of 164.05. Bortnick rebounded nicely after her first dive earning a 41.25 on her second dive for her best score of the day.

Naylor began the competition with a bang, nailing her opening dive, an inward three and a half tuck, for a score of 62.40, putting her in second. The junior’s first dive set the tone for her performance as she finished the preliminaries in third with a score of 277.35.

The Sasketchewan, Can., native opened the finals much like she did the prelims with a monster dive for 60.8 points. However, Naylor missed her second dive in the finals and earned just 34.2 points. Naylor wasn’t out for the count after returning to the platform to tally her best score of the competition, a 65.6 dive in round three. Naylor then closed out the competition with two consistent dives, but they weren’t enough to put her over the top.

The Razorbacks return to the pool to compete in the NCAA Championships, held in Indianapolis, Ind., from March 21-23. Arkansas will send a school-record seven swimmers to the Championship and 13 different chances to score.

Fans looking to follow the swimming and diving team as they compete at NCAA Zone Diving can do so by tuning in to ArkansasRazorbacks.com and following the Razorbacks on Twitter (@RazorbackSwim).