The Texas Diving Invitational took place Nov. 1-3 and the women’s diving team finished with a clean sweep of the three-day competition.
The invitational comprises three events: the three-meter, the one-meter and the platform competition. The first day of competition was the three-meter when 14 divers competed for a single spot at the top of the podium. The event’s winner was Texas junior Hailey Hernandez, scoring 382.65 points and overcoming the next competitor by about 24 points.
All of the Texas divers made it to the finals of the first day of competition and took all top five places, each scoring at least 300 points. Other Texas schools competing were the University of North Texas and TCU, neither of which had divers who scored more than 300 points.
The second day of competition once again saw Hernandez rise victorious over the competition, this time by narrow margins. Hernandez beat junior teammate Bridget O’Neil by 0.10 points in the one-meter event. The Longhorns rounded out the top four with Hernandez and O’Neil in first and second, respectively, followed by both Texas teammates freshman Caroline Kupka in third and freshman Amanda Stalfort in fourth.
Hernandez has earned All-American honors for both the one and three-meter events. Two of her honors came in 2022 and the third came in 2023. She is also a three-time Big 12 Champion in both of these events.
The Texas Diving Invitational was rounded out on the third day of competition with another win for the Longhorns. Kupka, who had finished third in both days of the previous competition, recorded her first collegiate victory in the platform event. Kupka with 295.35 points overcame her teammate Jordan Skilken by about eight points. The Longhorns took the top three of five spots in the platform event.
Kupka was one of two freshman divers to earn their first collegiate win in the platform event during the invitational. On the men’s side, freshman Tanner Braunton also earned his first collegiate victory, scoring more than 400 points in his competition.
With a clean sweep in the invitational, the Longhorns once again asserted their standing as the No. 2 ranked team in the country. Recovering from a loss against No. 1 Virginia last month, the Longhorns carried through the invitational and were victorious in their two subsequent meets against in-state rival Texas A&M and Georgia Tech. The women’s diving team now prepares for yet another invitational Nov. 15.
