Polyakova Posts Second Top-5 Finish of NCAAs
March 17, 2017 | Swimming & Diving
INDIANAPOLIS -- For the second consecutive day, No. 19 UCLA crept up the leaderboard at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships with another Top-5 finish in a diving competition. Once again, it was Maria Polyakova who advanced to the finals and challenged for the top spot, as the junior posted a final-round score of 351.80 in the 3-meter event to finish fifth.
Polyakova exhibited remarkable consistency in her marks Friday, as she started off the day with a score of 351.75 in the preliminary round of the event. Her score was good for third heading into the evening session. There, her score was bested by four of the nation's elite, including Minnesota's Yu Zhou. The senior posted the second 3-meter win at NCAAs of her career, with a score of 392.75.
In other preliminary action, Emma Schanz recorded a time of 4:16.18 in the 400 IM. Katie Grover, meanwhile, could not quite reach her Pac-12 Championships best of 51.95 in the 100 Fly, as the junior finished just shy at 52.25. Kenisha Liu also continued her active NCAA Championships debut with a 1:48.27 in the 200 Free.
The 100 Back saw two Bruin seniors take part in the preliminary round. Linnea Mack finished just outside the top 16 with a time of 52.13, while Madison White's 53.68 was also short of her personal best. In the 200 Medley Relay, the Bruins' fourth relay of the week, UCLA posted a time of 1:36.92, but was called for an early takeoff.
Saturday's events will conclude the NCAA Championships. Swimmers will again be active, with Bruins taking part in the 1650 Free, the 100 Back, the 100 Free, the 200 Breast, the 200 Fly and the 400 Free Relay. Finally, in the platform, Bruin divers will look to post add points to the team's total for the third consecutive day.
The standings following third day of action are as follows:
1. Stanford 213
2. California 136
3. Texas 119
4. Georgia 112
5. Texas A&M 108
6. Louisville 93
7. Michigan 74
8. NC State 71
9. USC 68
10. Indiana 61
19. UCLA 22
Players Mentioned
