By Katie Mucci
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Hope College's Sarah Sheridan matched the best 1-meter diving performance at the NCAA Division III Championships in school history on Thursday when she took third place for the second consecutive season.
The senior from Richmond, Indiana (Richmond HS) earned her third All-American honor on the low board by posting a score of 442.55.
Sheridan's three All-American finishes on the 1-meter are the most of any Hope diver — men's or women's.
"It's been fun and exciting. I just feel great on the boards," Sheridan said. "That's a great way to end."
Sheridan will vie for a national championship on the 3-meter board Saturday. She was Division III runner-up last season.
On Thursday, Sheridan qualified for the evening's finals with the third-highest score during the afternoon preliminaries of 422.50.
After the break, Sheridan came out strong in the night session, posting scores of 47.30, 49.40 and 51.60 in her first three dives. She continued her success through the remaining three, finishing the evening with a total score of 442.55, just 2.2 points out of second place.
Maria Zarka of Kenyon College won the event for the second year in a row with a score of 484.50, while Meghan Bartlett of SUNY Fredonia took second.
The 16 points earned put Hope 22nd in the overall standings.
Hope diving coach Zach Golin was happy with Sheridan's performance.
"She's just a model of consistency," Golin said. "She dove with a lot of heart and determination and left everything in the pool. I couldn't be more proud of what she did tonight and what she's done to get to this point."
As the only member of the Hope swimming & diving team to compete this week, Sheridan was welcomed by some familiar faces.
"Some of my teammates came down to support me," Sheridan said. "I just feel really glad and excited to be able to dive here. I felt really solid on almost all of my dives, and it just felt good to hit my dives."
Golin spoke about her resiliency and perseverance and the path that she took to get to this point.
"I've not met someone who has worked so hard to get to where they are, someone who is so passionate and has sacrificed so much to get to the level of competition she's at. It's been a journey," Golin said. "Three All-American finishes is just part of what makes her who she is. That's the biggest thing for me, just the work she puts behind it. For someone who wasn't even here as a freshman to come back and finish with three All-Americans on the 1-meter just says something about her work ethic and who she is as a person."
In her last meet, Sheridan reflected on her career at Hope and her experience as a part of the athletics program.
"One of the most amazing things about Hope swim and dive team is how much of a team and how much support there is," Sheridan said. "I've had people cheering me on all week long. Long after the experiences and places are important, I'll remember the relationships and the people."
