SAN DIEGO – San Diego State divers juniors Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez, Lexi Letts, and Gina Cazares head to the 2021 NCAA Zone E Championships March 8-10 in Flagstaff, Ariz. on the campus of Northern Arizona University for a chance to qualify for the 2021 NCAA Championships in Greensboro, N.C.
The top five female and top four male divers from each event at their respective zone diving meet will be eligible to compete at the NCAA championships. Additional place finishers in each event at each zone will be eligible based on the number of student-athletes from that zone who finished in the top 16 in that event at the previous year's championships NCAA championships. For the 2021 national championships, Zone E is eligible to send 12 divers to compete in the 1-meter and 9 competitors to compete in both the 3-meter and platform contests held in Greensboro.
All three Aztec divers have qualified to compete on each board at the zone championships.
Each of the SDSU divers competed in last year's NCAA Zone E Championships, with Lechuga Gonzalez qualifying to compete at the national championships on both the 1 and 3-meter springboard (event canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic). She finished fourth on the 3-meter and seventh on the 1-meter to earn spots at NCAAs.
Letts earned top-40 finishes in each of the three events at her last zone championships. She placed 40th on the 1-meter, 34th on the 3-meter, and 31st on the platform at the 2020 event.
Cazares looks to improve on her 2020 performances in her third trip to the zone championships. In 2020, she earned a top-50 finish in each of the three qualifying events. Her top finish came on the platform where she placed 26th in the preliminary round.
Live results for the meet are available on DiveMeets.com and a stream is available on the NAU Swimming and Diving Facebook page. A recap of the Aztecs' efforts can be found after the day's events on GoAztecs.com.
2021 NCAA Zone E Diving Championships Itinerary (all times PT)
Monday, Mar. 8 – 1-meter Diving
Prelims: 10:30 AM
Finals: 12:15 PM
Tuesday, Mar. 9 – 3-meter Diving
Prelims: 10:30 AM
Finals: 12:50 PM
Wednesday, Mar. 10 – Platform Diving
Prelims: 10:30 AM
Finals: 11:50 AM
Three Aztec Divers Prep for NCAA Zone E Diving Championships
