University of Minnesota Athletics
#9 Freshman Barnard Qualifies for NCAA Diving
8/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Australian Matt Barnard began diving for the Gophers just this past January. The freshman immediately made a splash.
At the NCAA Zone D Diving Championships, Matt began day one placing 10th on the 3-meter and the next day, finishing 16th on the 1-meter. With only one opportunity left for divers to qualify for the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, Barnard showed up. His performance on the platform resulted in a second-place finish, with total of 823.97 points - the freshman, who had only competed in a total of 3 collegiate diving meets was headed to Austin, Texas.
Joining the 8 swimmers on Minnesota's NCAA roster, Barnard was set to compete against the top Division I divers in the country.
At the NCAA Championships, Barnard finished 31st on the 1-meter board with a total of 281 points and 31st on the 3-meter with 317.35 points. During the 3-meter competition, Matt sustained an injury to his leg preventing him from competing in the platform competition.
With three years left of Diving for the U, there is only optimism from Head Swimming and Diving Coach Kelly Kremer, "Matt did a great job... I can't wait to see what happens next."
Players Mentioned
