FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Having three of the top 15 finishers among a preliminary field of 47 gave Purdue a trio of All-Americans in platform diving on the final day of the NCAA Championships.
Daryn Wright (4th, 358.70 list total) and Sophie McAfee (7th, 317.10) returned to the championship final and improved on their finishes at the national championship meet from a year ago. Jenna Sonnenberg (16th, 236.40) was an honorable mention All-American as a consolation final qualifier, capping a week in which she posted a new career-best finish each of the three days she competed.
The Boilermakers finished in 18th place in the team scoring at NCAAs for the second year in a row. Purdue's four diving qualifiers produced a scoring finish in all three events – including freshman Avery Worobel on 1-meter Thursday – for the first time since 2014, teaming up for 53 points. The Boilers have finished top 20 at the national championship meet in consecutive years for the first time ever.
McAfee and Sonnenberg closed out their collegiate careers as All-Americans on Saturday. McAfee is Purdue's first female diver to be an All-American in multiple diving events at three consecutive NCAA Championships.
Wright was a full-fledged (top 8) All-American on both 3-meter and platform this week, joining McAfee (2024), Emily Bretscher (2021), Amanda Miller (2007) and Carrie McCambridge (2005) as Purdue women to achieve the feat on a springboard and the platform in the same year. She was one of only three divers nationally to accomplish the feat at NCAAs this year.
Saturday night's platform diving championship final was delayed for about 20 minutes between rounds 3 and 4 due to a fire alarm going off in the Weyerhaesuer King County Aquatic Center. Wright still managed to finish strong, with her scores of 85.80 and 78.40 in the final two rounds both ranking second best among the field. That allowed her to move up the leaderboard and overcome a slow start – her scores in the first two rounds (58.50, 60.80) were her lowest of the night and ultimately kept her out of a medalist position.
McAfee's top score in the championship final was a 72 in round 1. She ripped her final dive of the prelim for a score of 67.20 (fourth best in the field) to grab the final spot in the championship final, overtaking the ninth-place finisher by 1.35 points.
Sonnenberg's key dive of the day was in round 4 of the prelim, with her reverse 2 ½ tuck from 10-meter producing a score of 67.20 that ranked seventh among the 47-diver field. That pushed her into the top 15 and earned her a spot in the consolation final. Sonnenberg was 17th in the 3-meter prelim Friday, finishing an agonizing one spot shy of All-America acclaim in the event.
Wright won the prelim by 30 points Saturday with a list of 361.65, a total that would have still put her in fourth place had she duplicated it in the final. She eclipsed the team record (359.30) entering the season for the third time, also besting that mark at the Purdue Invitational (390.45) in November and Indiana-Purdue dual (373.43) in January. All five of her dives in the prelim ranked among the top six in the field in their respective rounds and her last three all ranked top two. Wright ripped her back 3 ½ tuck for elite scores of 84.15 in the prelim and 85.80 in the final.
McAfee improved on her prelim list by 28 points in the final.
Wright and Worobel will headline Purdue's returning divers on the women's side for the 2025-26 season.
PLATFORM DIVING AT NCAAs
• Daryn Wright, 361.65 (Prelim Score) – Finished 4th in Championship Final; All-America
• Sophie McAfee, 317.10 – Finished 7th in Championship Final; All-America
• Jenna Sonnenberg, 270.65 (Prelim Score) – Finished 8th in Consolation Final, 16th Overall; Honorable Mention All-America
DIVERS TO BE CHAMPIONSHIP FINALISTS ON A SPRINGBOARD & THE TOWER AT 2025 NCAAs
• Daryn Wright, Purdue – 3-Meter & Platform
• Bayleigh Cranford, Teas – 3-Meter & Platform
• Montserrat Lavenant, LSU – 1-Meter & Platform
PURDUE'S TOP 8 ALL-AMERICANS ON A SPRINGBOARD & PLATFORM DURING A CAREER
• Daryn Wright – 2024 on Platform, 2025 on 3-Meter & Platform
• Sophie McAfee – 2024 on 3-Meter & Platform; 2025 on Platform
• Emily Bretscher – 2021 on 3-Meter & Platform
• Amanda Miller – 2006 on Platform; 2007 on 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform
• Carrie McCambridge – 2005 on 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform; 2006 on 1-Meter
PURDUE ALL-AMERICANS IN MULTIPLE DIVING EVENTS AT CONSECUTIVE NCAAs
• Sophie McAfee – 3-Meter & Platform; 2023, 2024 & 2025
• Daryn Wright – 3-Meter & Platform; 2024 & 2025
• Emily Bretscher – 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform; 2019 (1M) & 2021 (3M)*
• Amanda Miller – 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform; 2006 (3M) & 2007 (1M & 3M)
• Carrie McCambridge – 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform; 2005 & 2006
*NCAA Championships meet was canceled in 2020
Daryn Wright (4th, 358.70 list total) and Sophie McAfee (7th, 317.10) returned to the championship final and improved on their finishes at the national championship meet from a year ago. Jenna Sonnenberg (16th, 236.40) was an honorable mention All-American as a consolation final qualifier, capping a week in which she posted a new career-best finish each of the three days she competed.
The Boilermakers finished in 18th place in the team scoring at NCAAs for the second year in a row. Purdue's four diving qualifiers produced a scoring finish in all three events – including freshman Avery Worobel on 1-meter Thursday – for the first time since 2014, teaming up for 53 points. The Boilers have finished top 20 at the national championship meet in consecutive years for the first time ever.
McAfee and Sonnenberg closed out their collegiate careers as All-Americans on Saturday. McAfee is Purdue's first female diver to be an All-American in multiple diving events at three consecutive NCAA Championships.
Wright was a full-fledged (top 8) All-American on both 3-meter and platform this week, joining McAfee (2024), Emily Bretscher (2021), Amanda Miller (2007) and Carrie McCambridge (2005) as Purdue women to achieve the feat on a springboard and the platform in the same year. She was one of only three divers nationally to accomplish the feat at NCAAs this year.
Saturday night's platform diving championship final was delayed for about 20 minutes between rounds 3 and 4 due to a fire alarm going off in the Weyerhaesuer King County Aquatic Center. Wright still managed to finish strong, with her scores of 85.80 and 78.40 in the final two rounds both ranking second best among the field. That allowed her to move up the leaderboard and overcome a slow start – her scores in the first two rounds (58.50, 60.80) were her lowest of the night and ultimately kept her out of a medalist position.
McAfee's top score in the championship final was a 72 in round 1. She ripped her final dive of the prelim for a score of 67.20 (fourth best in the field) to grab the final spot in the championship final, overtaking the ninth-place finisher by 1.35 points.
Sonnenberg's key dive of the day was in round 4 of the prelim, with her reverse 2 ½ tuck from 10-meter producing a score of 67.20 that ranked seventh among the 47-diver field. That pushed her into the top 15 and earned her a spot in the consolation final. Sonnenberg was 17th in the 3-meter prelim Friday, finishing an agonizing one spot shy of All-America acclaim in the event.
Wright won the prelim by 30 points Saturday with a list of 361.65, a total that would have still put her in fourth place had she duplicated it in the final. She eclipsed the team record (359.30) entering the season for the third time, also besting that mark at the Purdue Invitational (390.45) in November and Indiana-Purdue dual (373.43) in January. All five of her dives in the prelim ranked among the top six in the field in their respective rounds and her last three all ranked top two. Wright ripped her back 3 ½ tuck for elite scores of 84.15 in the prelim and 85.80 in the final.
McAfee improved on her prelim list by 28 points in the final.
Wright and Worobel will headline Purdue's returning divers on the women's side for the 2025-26 season.
PLATFORM DIVING AT NCAAs
• Daryn Wright, 361.65 (Prelim Score) – Finished 4th in Championship Final; All-America
• Sophie McAfee, 317.10 – Finished 7th in Championship Final; All-America
• Jenna Sonnenberg, 270.65 (Prelim Score) – Finished 8th in Consolation Final, 16th Overall; Honorable Mention All-America
DIVERS TO BE CHAMPIONSHIP FINALISTS ON A SPRINGBOARD & THE TOWER AT 2025 NCAAs
• Daryn Wright, Purdue – 3-Meter & Platform
• Bayleigh Cranford, Teas – 3-Meter & Platform
• Montserrat Lavenant, LSU – 1-Meter & Platform
PURDUE'S TOP 8 ALL-AMERICANS ON A SPRINGBOARD & PLATFORM DURING A CAREER
• Daryn Wright – 2024 on Platform, 2025 on 3-Meter & Platform
• Sophie McAfee – 2024 on 3-Meter & Platform; 2025 on Platform
• Emily Bretscher – 2021 on 3-Meter & Platform
• Amanda Miller – 2006 on Platform; 2007 on 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform
• Carrie McCambridge – 2005 on 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform; 2006 on 1-Meter
PURDUE ALL-AMERICANS IN MULTIPLE DIVING EVENTS AT CONSECUTIVE NCAAs
• Sophie McAfee – 3-Meter & Platform; 2023, 2024 & 2025
• Daryn Wright – 3-Meter & Platform; 2024 & 2025
• Emily Bretscher – 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform; 2019 (1M) & 2021 (3M)*
• Amanda Miller – 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform; 2006 (3M) & 2007 (1M & 3M)
• Carrie McCambridge – 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform; 2005 & 2006
*NCAA Championships meet was canceled in 2020