University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Photo by: www.WaltMiddletonphoto.com
Big Ten Diving Awards Swept by Minnesota
3/28/2023 3:00:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Zhu Named Diver of the Year, Chen Takes Home Diving Coach of the Year
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota has swept the Big Ten women's diving awards, the conference announced Tuesday.
Fifth-year senior Joy Zhu has been named the Diver of the Year, while Wenbo Chen has garnered Diving Coach of the Year accolades.
Zhu finished her career in the Maroon and Gold with a pair of All-America honors. At last week's NCAA Championships, she placed eighth on the 1-meter springboard with a score of 297.35, while on the 3-meter she finished in seventh place behind a performance of 322.55.
She qualified for the NCAAs after taking third and sixth on the boards, respectively, at the Zone Diving Championships. Earlier in the postseason, she took bronze at the Big Ten Championships on the 1-meter, while on the 3-meter she was fourth and the platform she came in 14th.
Including prelims, Zhu finished first on the 1-meter eight times this season and won seven times on the 3-meter.
In team history, she ranks fifth for the 1-meter (338.62), sixth for the 3-meter (375.00) and 15th for the platform (266.85).
Zhu becomes the seventh individual Gopher to win Big Ten Diver of the Year, while her honor is the 12th total for Minnesota. Ten of those 12 honors have come under Chen's tutelage.
Chen has now been named the Big Ten Women's Diving Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his career, including eight with the Golden Gophers in 2010, 2013, 2015-17, 2019 and 2021. No one else in conference annals has more than five such awards.
In addition to coaching Zhu to all of her success in the 2022-23 season, Chen also helped freshman Vivi Del Angel earn All-American honors on the platform, while junior Av Osero reached the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career. It marked the first time since 2018 that Minnesota had sent at least three divers to NCAAs.
As a team, the Gophers finished in 17th place with 53 points. Of those 53, 40 came from the diving efforts of Zhu and Del Angel. It was the 17th straight top-25 finish for Minnesota.
Along with Zhu's performance at Big Tens, Del Angel won bronze on the platform and finished eighth on the 3-meter, while Chen also got junior Megan Phillip to the podium on the 1-meter with an eighth-place finish.
Fifth-year senior Joy Zhu has been named the Diver of the Year, while Wenbo Chen has garnered Diving Coach of the Year accolades.
Zhu finished her career in the Maroon and Gold with a pair of All-America honors. At last week's NCAA Championships, she placed eighth on the 1-meter springboard with a score of 297.35, while on the 3-meter she finished in seventh place behind a performance of 322.55.
She qualified for the NCAAs after taking third and sixth on the boards, respectively, at the Zone Diving Championships. Earlier in the postseason, she took bronze at the Big Ten Championships on the 1-meter, while on the 3-meter she was fourth and the platform she came in 14th.
Including prelims, Zhu finished first on the 1-meter eight times this season and won seven times on the 3-meter.
In team history, she ranks fifth for the 1-meter (338.62), sixth for the 3-meter (375.00) and 15th for the platform (266.85).
Zhu becomes the seventh individual Gopher to win Big Ten Diver of the Year, while her honor is the 12th total for Minnesota. Ten of those 12 honors have come under Chen's tutelage.
Chen has now been named the Big Ten Women's Diving Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his career, including eight with the Golden Gophers in 2010, 2013, 2015-17, 2019 and 2021. No one else in conference annals has more than five such awards.
In addition to coaching Zhu to all of her success in the 2022-23 season, Chen also helped freshman Vivi Del Angel earn All-American honors on the platform, while junior Av Osero reached the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career. It marked the first time since 2018 that Minnesota had sent at least three divers to NCAAs.
As a team, the Gophers finished in 17th place with 53 points. Of those 53, 40 came from the diving efforts of Zhu and Del Angel. It was the 17th straight top-25 finish for Minnesota.
Along with Zhu's performance at Big Tens, Del Angel won bronze on the platform and finished eighth on the 3-meter, while Chen also got junior Megan Phillip to the podium on the 1-meter with an eighth-place finish.
Elna Widerstrom Wins B1G 1M Title
Thursday, February 26
Vivi Del Angel Wins B1G Platform Title
Thursday, February 26
Vivi Del Angel BTN Interview
Thursday, February 26
Vivi Del Angel Wins NCAA Bronze
Monday, March 24