In the deep end of the pool, Miami diving isn’t done making noise this season.
At the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships, five Hurricanes punched their tickets to the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships in Atlanta later this month, adding another milestone to what has already been a remarkable year thus far for the program.
Competing in arguably one of the toughest qualifying zones in collegiate diving, Miami once again delivered when it mattered most.
Leading the charge was two-time Olympian and defending NCAA champion Chiara Pellacani. Fresh off being named the Women’s Most Valuable Diver at the ACC Swimming & Diving Championships, Pellacani continued her dominant postseason performance by finishing first in 1-meter qualifying with a score of 662.85 and second in the 3-meter with 769.90.
Teammate Margo O’Meara matched Pellacani’s feat, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in both springboard events. In her first season with the Hurricanes, O’Meara finished fifth in the 1-meter qualifying event with a score of 624.65 and secured a seventh-place finish in the 3-meter with 641.40.
O’Meara, recently named to the U.S. Diving team, has been one of Miami’s leading performers this season.
On the men’s side, freshman Matteo Santoro and redshirt freshman Jake Passmore also earned NCAA bids in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. Santoro finished second in the 1-meter qualifying round with a score of 778.15 before taking top honors in the 3-meter with an impressive 895.55 on the final day of competition. Passmore added strong performances of his own, placing sixth in the 1-meter (743.80) and tenth in the 3-meter (782.75).
Senior Mohamed Farouk rounded out Miami’s qualifiers, securing his spot in the platform event after finishing second in qualifying with a score of 776.10. His performance also secured him a spot in the 3-meter springboard competition. Farouk previously earned All-American honors on platform as a sophomore back in 2023.
With five divers advancing, the Hurricanes will now turn their attention to the national stage.
The NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships will take place March 18–21 at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, while the men’s championships will follow March 25–28 at the same venue.