Goydan Earns Second-Straight Trip to NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Wellesley College junior Hayley Goydan punched her ticket to the 2013 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving championship with a solid performance at the NCAA Regional on this weekend at Springfield College. The event featured two days of competition and 27 competitors on the women's side.

Goydan made nearly a 100-point improvement between Friday and Saturday's events. On Friday, she ranked 17th overall on the one-meter board with a score of 376.25, while on Saturday, she pushed through a minor injury suffered in warm-ups to place fourth with a 471.30.

When asked if there was pressure on her on Saturday, after a disappointing one-meter competition on Friday, Goydan explained, "There could have been, there should have been, but I didn't really feel it. I thought, I did so badly yesterday, things can only get better."

Goydan's day-two effort was rewarded with one of the region's nine bids to the national event, earning her a second straight trip to nationals. Last season, she received honorable mention All-America on both boards. "Today I tried to put yesterday out of my mind and focus on doing everything the best that I can do it," Goydan said. "I'm really surprised and excited to go to nationals again. I was feeling a little hopeless after one-meter, but I had a lot of great people to support me and help me through."

Goydan performed a dive with the highest degree of difficulty (DOD) in the the competition on the one-meter board, doing a back somersault two and a half twist in the free position (2.7 DOD). On the three-meter board, she performed an inward two and a half somersault in the tuck position (2.7 DOD), the second highest DOD on the board. Her hardest three-meter dive was also her highest scoring dive of the competition, receiving mostly 6.5's and earning her over 52 points in the round.

Wellesley Diving Coach, Mary Ellen Clark told Goydan that today was a new opportunity, and to focus on consistency. She added, "Hayley stepped up on every dive today, she was in a zone. The cool thing about her is she is such a competitor, and meets like these are what you're made of. She showed what she was made of today."

Sophomore Gabby Cooper-Vespa also had a strong showing at the meet, placing 20th on the one-meter with a score of 370.50, and ranking 25th with a 346.75 on the three-meter. Her highest scoring dive came on the three-meter board, where she earned 46.80 points on her forward two and a half somersault in the pike position (2.4 DOD).

"Gabby did an amazing job and we're so proud of her," said Clark. "She did a lot of great things and had great technique, and today just cemented the fact that she deserves to be among the great field of divers in this region."

The NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championship will be held March 20-23 in Shenandoah, Texas. 

3-Meter Diving Podium at the NCAA Regional