MOULTRIE – Five Moss Farms divers earned qualifying finishes on Thursday in USA Diving’s Zone B Championships being held at the Moose Moss Aquatic Center, cementing berths in Junior Nationals.
The top-10 finishers in each springboard event, plus pre-qualifiers, will earn a trip to the Junior National championships that will be held July 29-August 7 in Morgantown, W.Va.
The top-seven, plus pre-qualifiers, on platform also will advance.
Diving Tigers already assured of a trip to Junior Nationals are reigning 2023 National champion ElliReese Niday, on all three boards; Beck Gregory, who took first place on the three boards at last month’s YMCA Nationals; Austin Leigh Taylor, who was first on 1-meter and on platform at Y Nationals; and Elizabeth Ann Hobby, who took a first-place finish on platform at Y Nationals.
Moss Farms’ Ruby DeMott, in 11-and-under girls, finished second on platform on Thursday to earn her trip to Nationals.
She was just two points behind first-place finisher Anna Miller of the Orlando Dive Academy.
Amelia Gregory, in 12-13 girls, took a third-place finish on the 1-meter board with a score of 226.00.
The top-2 finishers in the event were both from The Woodlands Diving Academy of Shenandoah, Texas: Hannah Mclaughlin, who was first with a 289.10, and Ariel Hall who was second with a 251.25.
Bo Bridges took a seventh-place finish on 3-meter in the 16-18 boys age group. Tuck Gregory was eighth in the event.
Ansley Lane, in 11-and-under girls, was sixth on platform.
Eight more events will be contested today. Competition will continue through Sunday.
The Zone meet has drawn 184 divers, including 24 from Moss Farms.
Six Zone meets will largely determine the Junior Nationals field.
The other five meets are scheduled for Christiansburg, Va.; Louisville, Ky.; Madison, Wisconsin; Novato, Calif.; and Mission Viejo, Calif.