Horner Posts Top-Three Performance on Platform at NAU
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The University of New Mexico women’s diving team completed its time at Northern Arizona University by competing in the platform versus host NAU, New Mexico State and Boise State.
“I’m super proud of my girls,” said head diving coach Julie Weddle. “The tower event showed some great things, and it takes a lot of guts to get up there and compete when we don’t have towers to train on at home. Valencia got her personal best on tower doing a new dive on the 10-meter (405c) and a new dive on the seven-meter (105b). This meet was a great pre-conference meet and the girls can now focus on the small details. We had a great turnout for the finals and the group had fun this weekend.”
Five Lobos competed in the event, with all five making the finals. Junior Madeline Horner was the the team’s top-scorer in preliminaries, finishing fourth with a score of 207.90. Sophomores Natasha Dark and Valencia McDonald and junior Allyson Concepcion were all grouped together after Horner, occupying the ninth, 10th and 11th spots, respectively. Dark posted a score of 186.00, while McDonald posted a 172.40 and Concepcion posted a 161.85. Freshman Hannah Tiendas rounded out the Lobos’ field, finishing 13th with a score of 151.70.
Horner once again led the Lobos in the final, capturing a third-place finish with a final score of 203.75. Dark and Concepcion followed, with Dark scoring a 200.90, good for fourth, with Concepcion following close behind in fifth with a final score of 198.60. McDonald and Tiendas finished 10th and 11th in the event, with McDonald posting a 176.45 (which was a personal best) and Tiendas posting a 170.95.
UNM will now head into postseason competition with the Mountain West Championships coming up on Wednesday, February 14 through Saturday, February 17 in San Antonio, Texas.
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