FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Freshman Violet Williamson became the first Cal women's diver to qualify for the NCAA Championships in four years after placing third in the 3-meter dive on the first day of the NCAA Zone E Championships on Monday at Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.

After placing fifth in the preliminaries, Williamson's score of 613.75 was good for third in the finals - the top five finalists earned tickets to the NCAA Championships later this month.

Williamson is the first Cal women's diver to make the national championships since Briana Thai qualified on both the 3-meter event and platform diving in 2021.

Teammate Ariana Drake also qualified for the finals after placing 11th in prelims. She ended up 15th in the finals.

On the men's side, Joshua Thai, Jack Clark, and Geoffrey Vavitsas all advanced to the finals in the 1-meter dive. Clark finished in 13th place with a 570.15, Thai took 14th place with a 543.20, and Vavitsas placed 17th overall with a 524.55. 

The NCAA Zone Championships continue Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. PT. The women will compete in the platform event and men the 3-meter event. 

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