YPSILANTI, Mich. – Five Purdue Divers finished top 10 on platform as the Boilermakers earned five more event bids to the NCAA Championships on Wednesday’s final day of the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships.
Kaden Springfield (5th place Wednesday) was the eighth and final Purdue Diver – including all six men – to officially earn a trip to Atlanta for the NCAA Championships. He won bronze on the tower at NCAAs as a freshman a year ago.
The Boilermakers earned 17 overall event bids at NCAAs with their showings at Zones.
Tyler Wills was victorious on platform by 50 points in the cumulative scoring while posting a pair of strong list scores (434.25 prelim, 465.20 final). The sophomore moved into seventh place in program history with his lifetime best in the final.
Nathaniel Grannis (4th place Wednesday) and Wills both qualified for NCAAs in all three diving events. And with a top 10 finish Wednesday, Holden Higbie became an NCAAs qualifier on both platform and a springboard (3-meter) for the second time in his career.
Daryn Wright improved on her prelim list score by 64.8 points in the final (324.90) to place third at Zones for the second day in a row. She (3-meter & platform) and Avery Worobel (1-meter & 3-meter) both qualified for NCAAs in a pair of events and will join distance swimmer Reagan Mattice in Atlanta next week.
The Purdue men will be represented by a program record 11 student-athletes at the NCAA Championships the week of March 25-28 in Atlanta. The Boilermakers’ five swimming qualifiers were officially announced Wednesday afternoon. Altogether, they’ll represent Purdue in eight events at the national championship meet.
Purdue Swimming & Diving’s 14 total NCAAs qualifiers is the most since 2022 when the Burke Aquatic Center also produced 14.
MEN’S PLATFORM (4 Event Bids at NCAAs)
Tyler Wills, 899.45 (434.25 Prelim, 465.20 Final) – Event Winner; NCAA Championships Qualifier
Nathaniel Grannis, 705.45 (360.40 Prelim, 345.05 Final) – Finished 4th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
Kaden Springfield, 680.65 (325.45 Prelim, 355.20) – Finished 5th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
Holden Higbie, 643.25 (333.45 Prelim, 309.80 Final) – Finished 10th; NCAA Championships Qualifier
WOMEN’S PLATFORM (1 Event Bid at NCAAs)
Daryn Wright, 585.00 (260.10 Prelim, 324.90 Final) – Finished 3rd; NCAA Championships Qualifier
Amelia Rinehart, 199.10 – Finished 19th in Prelim
Kaitlin Simons, 181.30 – Finished 23rd in Prelim
Ruth Anne McCranie, 177.15 – Finished 24th in Prelim
QUALIFIED FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS EVENT RECAP (17)
Nathaniel Grannis – 1-Meter, 3-Meter, Platform
Tyler Wills – 1-Meter, 3-Meter, Platform
Max Miller – 1-Meter, 3-Meter
Zach Welsh – 1-Meter, 3-Meter
Avery Worobel – 1-Meter, 3-Meter
Holden Higbie – 3-Meter, Platform
Daryn Wright – 3-Meter, Platform
Kaden Springfield – Platform
Divers Post 5 Top 10's on Platform, All 6 Men Qualify for NCAAs