Winning divers headed to nationals this week in Texas

Fredonia added to its list of SUNYAC diving champions with four more titles last month.

Divers Arron Carlson and Meghan Bartlett,     with Coach Ryan Fuller (far right) at the participants dinner in Texas.

The springboard sweeps by seniors Meghan Bartlett (Johnstown, N.Y.) and Arron Carlson (LeRoy, N.Y.) marked the third time in the last six years Blue Devil divers have won all four SUNYAC titles. It also set the stage for NCAA Regional performances that earned both return trips to the national meet this week in Shenendoah, Texas.

Bartlett is entered in the 3-meter on Wednesday and the 1-meter Friday. Carlson will compete in the 1-meter on Thursday and the 3-meter on Saturday. Tentative start times for all preliminaries are 1 p.m. Eastern time each day. Finals are set for 9 o'clock each night. Live coverage links will be available on this website.

Both Fredonia divers were runner-ups at the 2016 NCAA meet, each in their respective 1-meter competitions. Bartlett was also third in the women's 3-meter and Carlson fifth in the men's 3-meter. They talk about their experiences and goals in the accompanying video produced by Fredonia Sports Information video & social media intern Tim Hart.

To qualify for the national meet, Carlson won both regional boards while Bartlett was first in the 1-meter and second in the 3-meter at Ithaca College on Feb. 24th and 25th.

Bartlett and Carlson were each named SUNYAC Diver of the Meet in their respective genders -- another award that Fredonians have dominated -- while Blue Devil diving coach Ryan Fuller, himself a past conference champ, was named SUNYAC Diving's Co-Coach of the Year.

The unprecedented spring of success began in 2006 with Kelly Sponholz, who won both boards as a freshmen and went 8 for 8 over four years. She also won a 2009 NCAA title -- the only Fredonia diver, male or female, to stand atop the championship podium.

Including that 2006 meet, Fredonia divers have won 32 of 48 SUNYAC diving titles.