COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jordan Rzepka won by 84 points on platform to officially become the first Purdue diver to qualify for the NCAA Championships in all three events in four consecutive years, highlighting the final day of the Zone C Championships for the Boilermakers.
Jenna Sonnenberg joined Rzepka as NCAA qualifiers in all three diving events this year. As a fifth-year student-athlete, Sonnenberg accomplished the feat for the first time. Previously, she was a 3-meter qualifier in 2022 and a platform qualifier in 2024. Teammate Sophie McAfee (2022) was Purdue's last female diver to accomplish the feat, becoming a four-year NCAAs qualifier this week.
Freshmen Tyler Wills and Kaden Springfield earned their bids to NCAAs on Wednesday via top-seven finishes on platform. They also earned the right to compete on 3-meter at the national championship meet after being top 12 in the event Tuesday.
Rzepka and McAfee are among a group of eight Purdue Divers to qualify for NCAAs four times. But Rzepka is the first to do so in all three events all four years, with the previous six featuring springboard (Joe Cifelli, Greg Duncan) and platform (Brandon Loschiavo, Maggie Merriman, Maycey Vieta) specialists. Casey Matthews – the first to accomplish the feat – was a Big Ten medalist on both during her career, but opted to focus on the springboards as an upperclassman after injuries kept her out of action in consecutive seasons.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFICATION RECAP
Men
• Jordan Rzepka – 1-Meter, 3-Meter, Platform
• Zach Welsh – 1-Meter, 3-Meter
• Max Miller – 1-Meter, 3-Meter
• Kaden Springfield – 3-Meter, Platform
• Tyler Wills – 3-Meter, Platform
Women
• Jenna Sonnenberg – 1-Meter, 3-Meter, Platform
• Daryn Wright – 3-Meter, Platform
• Sophie McAfee – 3-Meter, Platform
• Avery Worobel – 1-Meter, 3-Meter
Nine of the 11 Boilermakers, including all five men, that competed at Zones this week qualified for the NCAA Championships. Four of the 11 were freshmen. That gives Purdue Women's Swimming & Diving four NCAAs qualifiers, including multiple Boilermakers in all three diving events, for the national championship meet – set for March 19-22 in Federal Way, Washington.
The men's NCAA Championships are the following week (March 26-29), also at the Weyerhaeuser King Couty Aquatic Center in the Seattle area. Purdue Men's Swimming & Diving will have six qualifiers, with swimmer Brady Samuels joining the five divers. The six qualifiers – all in individual events – are the program's most since also having six in 2022 (10 total qualifiers, including relays). The men also have multiple qualifiers in all three diving events.
Daryn Wright was the co-winner on platform Wednesday along with Indiana's Skyler Liu, the two-time Big Ten champion in the event. Wright won both 3-meter and platform this week, qualifying for NCAAs in both events for the third consecutive year.
McAfee took third on the platform Wednesday, the same place she finished on 3-meter Monday as Wright, Avery Worobel and McAfee went 1-2-3.
Freshman Zach Welsh opted to compete on platform Wednesday for just the second time this season, finishing in the 13th place and narrowly missing out on qualifying for NCAAs in all three events. Twelfth place would have been good enough for the additional event bid after he was fifth on both springboards, earning his NCAAs berth in the process.
Wright, McAfee, Sonnenberg, Springfield and Welsh all improved on their prelim list totals in the finals Wednesday.
Purdue Diving's nine NCAAs qualifiers are the most since 2022 when nine also made it – five men, four women. Rzepka, McAfee and Sonnenberg were also part of that group.
WEDNESDAY AT THE ZONE C DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men's Platform
• Jordan Rzepka, 899.35 (470.90 Prelim,428.45 Final) – Event Winner; NCAAs Qualifier
• Tyler Wills, 793.95 (400.85 Prelim, 393.10 Final) – Finished 4th; NCAAs Qualifier
• Kaden Springfield, 749.35 (371.10 Prelim, 378.25 Final) – Finished 7th; NCAAs Qualifier
• Zach Welsh, 638.90 (319.00 Prelim, 319.90 Final) – Finished 13th
Women's Platform
• Daryn Wright, 634.80 (316.35 Prelim, 318.45 Final) – Event Co-Winner; NCAAs Qualifier
• Sophie McAfee, 589.45 (283.05 Prelim, 306.40 Final) – Finished 3rd; NCAAs Qualifier
• Jenna Sonnenberg, 457.35 (228.40 Prelim, 228.95 Final) – Finished 12th; NCAAs Qualifier
• Kaitlin Simons, 205.35 – Finished 24th in Prelims
AUTOMATIC QUALIFYING SPOTS TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM ZONE C
Top 12 in an event also qualify for NCAAs if he or she has already auto-qualified
• 1-Meter – Women: 6 // Men: 10
• 3-Meter – Women: 10 // Men: 8
• Platform – Women: 11 // Men: 10
Jenna Sonnenberg joined Rzepka as NCAA qualifiers in all three diving events this year. As a fifth-year student-athlete, Sonnenberg accomplished the feat for the first time. Previously, she was a 3-meter qualifier in 2022 and a platform qualifier in 2024. Teammate Sophie McAfee (2022) was Purdue's last female diver to accomplish the feat, becoming a four-year NCAAs qualifier this week.
Freshmen Tyler Wills and Kaden Springfield earned their bids to NCAAs on Wednesday via top-seven finishes on platform. They also earned the right to compete on 3-meter at the national championship meet after being top 12 in the event Tuesday.
Rzepka and McAfee are among a group of eight Purdue Divers to qualify for NCAAs four times. But Rzepka is the first to do so in all three events all four years, with the previous six featuring springboard (Joe Cifelli, Greg Duncan) and platform (Brandon Loschiavo, Maggie Merriman, Maycey Vieta) specialists. Casey Matthews – the first to accomplish the feat – was a Big Ten medalist on both during her career, but opted to focus on the springboards as an upperclassman after injuries kept her out of action in consecutive seasons.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFICATION RECAP
Men
• Jordan Rzepka – 1-Meter, 3-Meter, Platform
• Zach Welsh – 1-Meter, 3-Meter
• Max Miller – 1-Meter, 3-Meter
• Kaden Springfield – 3-Meter, Platform
• Tyler Wills – 3-Meter, Platform
Women
• Jenna Sonnenberg – 1-Meter, 3-Meter, Platform
• Daryn Wright – 3-Meter, Platform
• Sophie McAfee – 3-Meter, Platform
• Avery Worobel – 1-Meter, 3-Meter
Nine of the 11 Boilermakers, including all five men, that competed at Zones this week qualified for the NCAA Championships. Four of the 11 were freshmen. That gives Purdue Women's Swimming & Diving four NCAAs qualifiers, including multiple Boilermakers in all three diving events, for the national championship meet – set for March 19-22 in Federal Way, Washington.
The men's NCAA Championships are the following week (March 26-29), also at the Weyerhaeuser King Couty Aquatic Center in the Seattle area. Purdue Men's Swimming & Diving will have six qualifiers, with swimmer Brady Samuels joining the five divers. The six qualifiers – all in individual events – are the program's most since also having six in 2022 (10 total qualifiers, including relays). The men also have multiple qualifiers in all three diving events.
Daryn Wright was the co-winner on platform Wednesday along with Indiana's Skyler Liu, the two-time Big Ten champion in the event. Wright won both 3-meter and platform this week, qualifying for NCAAs in both events for the third consecutive year.
McAfee took third on the platform Wednesday, the same place she finished on 3-meter Monday as Wright, Avery Worobel and McAfee went 1-2-3.
Freshman Zach Welsh opted to compete on platform Wednesday for just the second time this season, finishing in the 13th place and narrowly missing out on qualifying for NCAAs in all three events. Twelfth place would have been good enough for the additional event bid after he was fifth on both springboards, earning his NCAAs berth in the process.
Wright, McAfee, Sonnenberg, Springfield and Welsh all improved on their prelim list totals in the finals Wednesday.
Purdue Diving's nine NCAAs qualifiers are the most since 2022 when nine also made it – five men, four women. Rzepka, McAfee and Sonnenberg were also part of that group.
WEDNESDAY AT THE ZONE C DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men's Platform
• Jordan Rzepka, 899.35 (470.90 Prelim,428.45 Final) – Event Winner; NCAAs Qualifier
• Tyler Wills, 793.95 (400.85 Prelim, 393.10 Final) – Finished 4th; NCAAs Qualifier
• Kaden Springfield, 749.35 (371.10 Prelim, 378.25 Final) – Finished 7th; NCAAs Qualifier
• Zach Welsh, 638.90 (319.00 Prelim, 319.90 Final) – Finished 13th
Women's Platform
• Daryn Wright, 634.80 (316.35 Prelim, 318.45 Final) – Event Co-Winner; NCAAs Qualifier
• Sophie McAfee, 589.45 (283.05 Prelim, 306.40 Final) – Finished 3rd; NCAAs Qualifier
• Jenna Sonnenberg, 457.35 (228.40 Prelim, 228.95 Final) – Finished 12th; NCAAs Qualifier
• Kaitlin Simons, 205.35 – Finished 24th in Prelims
AUTOMATIC QUALIFYING SPOTS TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM ZONE C
Top 12 in an event also qualify for NCAAs if he or she has already auto-qualified
• 1-Meter – Women: 6 // Men: 10
• 3-Meter – Women: 10 // Men: 8
• Platform – Women: 11 // Men: 10