Lake Forest College sophomore diver Heath Ogawa placed fourth on Friday's 3-meter event and fifth on Saturday's 1-meter springboard competition at the NCAA Division III Region 1 Diving Championships at Calving College this weekend.
Ogawa got off to a slow start in the 3-meter event, dropping to as low as 16th place after his third attempt. He climbed spots throughout the following rounds with consistent optionals scoring in the 50-point range, putting him as high as first place. His highest scoring dive of the night was his backward two-and-a-half somersault in the pike position for 63.00 points. His final score for the night was 539.75 points, placing him fourth in the field of 29 divers.
In Saturday's 1-meter competition, Ogawa placed fifth with a score of 484.55. He ranked between fifth and seventh place throughout most of the event.
Although the official list of divers moving onto the NCAA Division III National Championship meet is not released until Monday, Ogawa's performance puts him in a comfortable spot to be among the divers who will compete for a national title.
by Matthew Demirs