Minnesota’s women’s swim and dive team returned from the NCAA Championships in Federal Way, Washington with two distinguished honors.
Swimmer Eliot Kennedy and diver Vivi Del Angel received second-team All-American honors in the 1m and the mile, respectively.
The team finished in 26th place at nationals and scored a total of 21 points.
Del Angel, who finished in third place with a score of 371.50 in the platform finals this year, was the first woman Gopher to win a platform national championship at the 2024 championships.
Going into this year’s championships, Del Angel said she felt more confident the entire season due to her successes in her sophomore season.
“Even though I didn’t win the title this year, I’m proud I had a really consistent meet this year,” Del Angel said.
In her third NCAA Championships appearance, Del Angel earned her first All-American honorable mention in the 1m dive with a 15th-place finish.
Born and raised in Veracruz, Mexico, Del Angel takes great pride in her Mexican heritage and won a silver medal for Mexico in the 10m synchro in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
“Being able to represent both the University of Minnesota and my home country at this level of competition makes me incredibly happy,” Del Angel said.
With two previous NCAA Championship appearances, Del Angel’s mind was always set on qualifying for this year’s championships.
“It was just a matter of staying healthy, ready and rested throughout the season,” Del Angel said.
This was Kennedy’s second year competing at the NCAA Championship. She finished 14th in the mile swim event with a time of 15:56.51.
An important part of collegiate swimming is the mental game, and Kennedy said her older sister Sidney Kennedy’s advice helped immensely.
Sidney Kennedy competed in the mile swim for the University of Illinois’ swimming team from 2018-2022.
“Her biggest piece of advice was to remember that it’s just swimming,” said Eliot Kennedy. “Yes it means a lot, but when you’re able to relax and have fun, it’s easier to enjoy the moment.”
Before the start of the 2024-25 season, the Big Ten added the University of Southern California, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the mix.
Eliot Kennedy said Minnesota’s coaching staff hardly addressed the expansion going into this season.
“The only thing the coaches emphasized was that it would be harder to make finals, but they used that as motivation for us,” Eliot Kennedy said.
Both Eliot Kennedy and Del Angel agreed that their experiences at the recent Big Ten Championships helped them prepare for the NCAA Championships.
Eliot Kennedy, a senior, said she still plans on rooting for Minnesota swim and dive after graduating.
“I’m excited to see what they can do next year because I know they have some big things ahead,” Eliot Kennedy said.
Select Minnesota men’s swimmers and divers are currently competing in the NCAA Championships, with the final day of competition on Saturday, March 28.
