SMU diver Sitz won the national championship on the 1-meter springboard at the NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 26. This marks his first national title and his second consecutive First-Team All-American honor.
Sitz averaged a score of 71.35 per round and finished with a total of 428.10 points to secure the championship. His performance was highlighted by a Reverse 2 1/2 Somersault Tuck (305C), which earned him a score of 81.00. This victory is significant as it is SMU’s first-ever NCAA Championship on the men’s 1-meter event.
The last time an SMU athlete earned an NCAA diving title was in 1990, when Scott Donie won gold medals in both the three-meter and platform events. Last year, Sitz finished seventh overall as a freshman at nationals, earning First-Team All-America honors.
“Everything I worked towards paid off tonight,” said Sitz. “I’m just overwhelmed with joy right now.” Head coach Greg Rhodenbaugh also commented: “I’m so proud of Luke. He works so hard every day and stepped up in the biggest spotlight on the biggest stage.”
Earlier this season, Sitz became SMU’s first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Individual Champion by winning the same event at the ACC Championship held in Atlanta’s McAuley Aquatic Center. His win brings SMU its first NCAA individual title since golfer Bryson DeChambeau claimed one in 2015.
Two other Mustangs competed Thursday: Freshman Cates made his NCAA debut on the one-meter board, finishing twenty-fourth with a score of 312.50; Brennan placed eighteenth overall after breaking SMU’s school record for the fourth time this season in the men’s two-hundred freestyle with a personal best of 1:31.94.
Looking ahead, Sitz will compete again Friday along with Cates in three-meter diving preliminaries starting at eleven o’clock Central Time; Junior will swim in preliminary heats for one-hundred backstroke while Brennan races in five-hundred freestyle preliminaries.
