The Irish diving team broke out on its own when it competed in the Michigan First Chance Meet at the Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Saturday, earning four top-three finishes in the 1-meter and platform dives.
The Irish have not had many chances to practice their platform dives, but that didn't stop them from taking two of the top three spots in the competition. Freshman Lindsey Streepey took second place, earning her team 248 points, while freshman Emma Gaboury followed her with 236.2 points and placed third.
"The most challenging part was competing in the platform," Streepey said. "We do not have platform at Notre Dame, so we have only gotten to practice it twice this year. Most schools, like Michigan, practice it twice a week because they have platforms at their pool."
The competition was Streepey's first collegiate platform competition, and she said she felt confident in her dives.
"I felt pretty good about my performance, but there's always room for improvement," she said.
Rounding out the performers for the Irish were senior Jenny Chiang, who took second in the 1-meter dive and earned 296.4 points, and sophomore Allison Casareto, who finished right behind her with a score of 291.45.
Casareto mixed things up in the competition, but said she wasn't sure they paid off.
"I tried diving with a new order of my list of dives, to see if it had any positive effects," Casareto said. "But I learned that I should probably stick to other list orders I have used in past meets."
Casareto said she also used the larger meet to get acclimated to the kind of environment she will experience when she competes in the upcoming Big East Championships.
The Irish will be back in action when both swimmers and divers compete in the Big East Championships, beginning Feb. 27 in Indianapolis.
Contact Katie Heit at kheit@nd.edu
