ATLANTA, Ga. – Sarah Braun finished in 14th place in the platform event at the NCAA Zone B Championships at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga. on Wednesday afternoon. The junior from Beaverton, Ore., who qualified for the platform finals at the Zone meet for the second-straight year, finished the meet with 466.80 points, improving on her score from the 2015 meet by 18.75 points.
Braun accumulated 237.60 points and was in 12th place after the preliminary round of five dives, and added 229.20 points in the finals to finish with 466.80. Braun’s 14th-place finish matched her career-best finish in any event at the NCAA Zone meet, as she also finished 14th in 2015 with 448.05 points.
Senior Megan Helwagen, junior Danielle Reitsma and freshman Caylin Hirapara also competed in the platform for the Tigers. Helwagen (214.85 points) and Reitsma (211.25 points) finished in 20th and 21st place, respectively, narrowly missing the top-18 finish required to reach the finals. Hirapara concluded the preliminary round with 187.15 points.
Helwagen’s last dive of the day, and the last of her Clemson career, was also her best of the day, as she scored 52.80 points on her back 1 ½ somersault with 1 ½ twist. Earlier this week, the Mason, Ohio native was the only Clemson diver to qualify for the finals in the one-meter event, where she finished 16th overall. The 15th-place finish in the one-meter was Helwagen’s career-best finish in any event at the NCAA Zone Championships. She qualified for the zone meet in all three events, all four years of her collegiate career, the only diver in Clemson program history to do so.
December 10, 2024
