Isabella Gomez Takes Second on Platform at Lumberjack Diving Invite
San Diego State junior Isabella Gomez finished second in platform competition on Saturday to lead the Aztec contingent at the Lumberjack Diving Invitational in Flagstaff, Arizona.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – San Diego State junior Isabella Gomez finished second in platform competition on Saturday to lead the Aztec contingent at the Lumberjack Diving Invitational on the campus of Northern Arizona University.
A transfer from New Mexico, Gomez posted a combined score of 531.80 at Wall Aquatic Center, eclipsing an NCAA zone qualifying standard in both rounds, including a mark of 272.80 in preliminaries, to land in the runner-up spot among 18 competitors behind Zara Joy Ayazi of Arizona (546.65).
With her performance, Gomez was one of six SDSU divers to advance to Saturday’s final, joining freshman Belen Cano, sophomore Keira Kuderka and junior Alina Skrocki, along with freshmen Sophia Hineline and Lucy Chavez.
Cano and Skrocki surpassed NCAA zone qualifying scores in both sessions (225.0), while Kuderka accomplished the feat in the finals.
A midseason addition to the Aztec roster, Cano held steady in the sixth position, compiling an aggregate of 473.55 points, featuring a season-best tally of 240.25 in the preliminaries.
Meanwhile, Kuderka closed with a flourish on Saturday, climbing four places into the seventh spot just behind Cano with 473.25 points after recording a career-best score of 264.0 in the final session.
Conversely, Skrocki slipped four slots on the leaderboard but still finished among the top 10, landing in the eighth position with 470.10 points, highlighted by an opening-round total of 245.00.
Rounding out SDSU’s finals competitors were Hineline (387.55) and Chavez (387.05), who placed 16th and 17th, respectively. Earlier in the preliminaries, Hineline (205.40) was slotted 12th just ahead of Chavez (202.50), who occupied the 13th spot.
The Aztecs’ six divers were the most out of the seven schools that were represented in the final round.
Following Ayazi’s and Gomez’s performances, the top-five finishers also included Northern Arizona’s Grace Wesche (3rd, 487.55), Idaho’s Maya Salvitti (4th, 485.20) and NAU’s Margaret Wesche (5th, 481.55).
In addition, the SDSU delegation featured freshman Meja Palmer (191.45), who missed advancing to the final session by less than a point after finishing 19th in the preliminaries.
The San Diego State swim and dive program will shift its focus to the Mountain West Championships, slated for Feb. 18-21 in Houston, Texas. The Aztecs are seeking their fifth consecutive conference title and seventh in the last eight years.