Kendall Hollimon Takes One-Meter Title on First Day of SCIAC Diving Championships

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior diver Kendall Hollimon won the SCIAC title in the one-meter dive at the 2020 SCIAC Diving Championships, hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Axelrood Pool on Saturday afternoon.

Hollimon now stands a perfect 7-for-7 in SCIAC Diving Championships, and will try to make it a perfect career tomorrow when he competes in the 3-meter, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

The scores were tight heading into the final round, as Hollimon held a narrow lead of less than two points over Benjamin Willett of Pomona-Pitzer. Hollimon, though, had a consistent six dives in the finals with high degrees of difficulty, earning mostly 7s and 7.5s from the judges on his final two. 

Hollimon ended up with 484 points to take first place, while Willett was second with 450.35 points. Jem Stern of Pomona-Pitzer was third with 448.75 points. 

CMS also had two other divers among the nine to advance to the finals, as sophomore Abai Houser was seventh in prelims, carrying 142.30 points into the finals, and junior Juan Diego Herrera was eighth with 137.30. 

The 3-meter is the stronger of Hollimon's two boards, as he finished in third place nationally in that event a year ago (after fourth-place as a freshman and sophomore). A typically strong performance tomorrow will give him the rare chance to win every conference event he competed in over his entire collegiate career.