Hayden, Gilliland Earn 3-Meter Medals
ATLANTA – Senior Kristen Hayden and sophomore Tarrin Gilliland finished second and third, respectively, in the 3-meter dive championship final Friday (March 18) night at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships inside McAuley Aquatic Center.
Hayden and Gilliland are the first Indiana diving duo to finish top-three in a single event at the national meet since 2009, when Christina Loukas and Brittney Feldman finished first and third in the same competition.
Hayden tallied a 397.20 to collect her highest-ever finish at the national meet. Hayden scored north of 65 on five of her six dives and led going into the final round, where she executed a forward 2 1/2 somersault, single twist pike for 69 points. Reigning 3M national champion Sarah Bacon of Minnesota followed with a 78.00 on the same dive to edge out Hayden in the final round.
“What a great event this evening,†IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “In the last round there were three ladies that could have won the gold, and both of ours hit their dives and ended up in a second and third place which is just fantastic. The winner is one of the best in the world, and we were right there with her.”
The third-place finisher at the Big Ten Championships in February, Gilliland put up a career-best 382.00 in the 3M to earn bronze and add to her illustrious young career at IU. It’s her second top-three finish at the NCAA Championships as she will try to defend her 2021 national title in the Platform dive Saturday.
In total, three IU divers have collected five All-America honors this week in just two events. On Thursday, Indiana was the only program with three combined A-and-B finalists in the 1-meter competition. Friday, the Hoosiers were one of two teams with two divers in the A final.
In the swimming pool freshman, Anna Peplowski beat her B final seed to earn her first-career top-10 finish, swimming the 200 Freestyle in 1:43.57, just four-tenths of a second short of her personal best.
 Peplowski’s sister, senior Noelle Peplowski, also earned honorable mention All-America honors Friday as she finished 16th in the 100 Breaststroke at 59.71. The elder Peplowski picked up her seventh-career All-America nod Friday and swam a season-best 59.27 in the prelim.
“Our ladies are fighting with every bit of passion, desire and effort they have,†IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “We are super proud of both our divers tonight on 3-meter.â€
Indiana sits 15th with 75 points going into Saturday, the final day of competition in Atlanta.
“Tomorrow can be our best day,†Looze said.
RESULTS
200 FREESTYLE
- Anna Peplowski – 1:43.57 (All-America Honorable Mention)
100 BREASTSTROKE
- Noelle Peplowski – 59.71 (All-America Honorable Mention)
3-METER DIVE
- Kristen Hayden – 397.20 (NCAA Runner-up, All-America)
- Tarrin Gilliland – 382.00 (All-America, Career Best)Â
400 MEDLEY RELAY
- Kacey McKenna, Noelle Peplowski, Elizabeth Broshears, Anna Peplowski – 3:33.23
HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Elizabeth Broshears (200 Medley Relay*)
Anne Fowler (1-Meter*)
Tarrin Gilliland (1-Meter, 3-Meter)
Kristen Hayden (1-Meter*, 3-Meter)
Dominika Kossakowska (800 Freestyle Relay*)
Mackenzie Looze (800 Freestyle Relay*, 200 IM*)
Kacey McKenna (200 Medley Relay*)
Anna Peplowski (800 Freestyle Relay*, 200 Freestyle*)
Noelle Peplowski (200 Medley Relay*, 100 Breaststroke)
Ella Ristic (800 Freestyle Relay*)
Ashley Turak (200 Medley Relay*)
* – Denotes All-America Honorable Mention
UP NEXT
Indiana marches into the final day of the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday (March 19). The 1,650 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, and 400 Freestyle races are on the schedule for day four.
