Wilke Achieves Diving Berth In NCAA Championship

UW-Oshkosh sophomore Matt Wilke earned an opportunity to dive at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Men's Swimming & Diving Championships following his two fifth-place finishes at the Region 1 Championships held Friday and Saturday (March 1-2) in Crawfordsville, Ind.

Wilke scored 440.55 points among 21 competitors in the 1-meter category and 457.80 points among 19 participants in the 3-meter section to achieve his first visit to nationals. His scoring values at the regional were for 11 dives.

Jacob Burris of Albion College (Mich.) won this year's 1-meter title with a score of 490.10. He placed second in the event a year ago.

Dylan Glumac-Berberich of UW-Eau Claire finished second to Burris with 474.10 points while defending champion Heath Ogawa of Lake Forest College (Ill.) placed third with 469.15, Kiernan Cuddy of Macalester College (Minn.) fourth with 450.10 and Grant Williams of Hope College (Mich.) sixth with 440.

In the 3-meter section, Ogawa repeated as champion. He won the event with 536.60 points while Glumac-Berberich finished second with 504.40, Brian Simonich of Hope College (Mich.) third with 462.40, Ryan McClelland of John Carroll University (Ohio) fourth with 458.40 and Ryder Sammons of Knox College (Ill.) sixth with 457.70.

The top five divers in each category will likely represent Region 1 at the NCAA Division III Men's Swimming & Diving Championship on March 20-23 in Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Aquatic Center).

Other NCAA Division III regional diving championships held this past weekend were in Grinnell, Iowa (Region 2), Cambridge, Mass. (Region 3) and Rochester, N.Y. (Region 4). Each of the four regions will have at least two of the 24 qualifiers per diving category for the national championship.

Wilke, competing at the Region 1 Championships for the second straight year, finished seventh among 27 participants last season with 420.50 points off the 1-meter board and seventh among 21 competitors with 440.30 points off the 3-meter plank.

This season Wilke placed second in both the 1- and 3-meter diving competitions at the WIAC Championship with respective scores of 495.60 and 515.90.

NCAA Division III Region 1 Men's Diving Championships Host Website

Photo by Paul Wilke