Diver Wilmot rips his way to NCAAs

Wilmot to be only diver at nationals

He paused at the top of the tower, ten meters above the still surface of the water. He leapt backwards into space, twisting. His body tumbled more than 1 1/2 times and entered the water, leaving no trace of his entry except a few thin bubbles.

When he popped back to the surface, Brett Wilmot knew he had come up big - but when he saw it later on video, he was even more exultant.

He said his score of 83 was the best he'd ever scored. But the best moment of this weekend's Diving Zone meet in Oxford, Ohio, won't be realized until next Tuesday, when he steps on a plane bound for Auburn, Ala., and the NCAA Swimming and Diving Ch

FILE PHOTO Brett Wilmot was the only Michigan diver to qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will be held March 26-28 in Auburn, Ala.

ampionships.

Wilmot was the only Wolverine to qualify for the meet, but teammate Josh Trexler had a "pretty good" meet according to Wilmot, but just missed the top six, who qualify for NCAAs.

But Wilmot's personal-best dive didn't propel him to NCAAs - he had already qualified the day before, he thought.

Wilmot was "95-percent sure" he had made it after the first day of competition, when he bounced to fourth in the three-meter springboard competition.

"I was real confident with that," Wilmot said, adding that his strength, and that of the entire diving team, is platform events.

The Wolverines took the tower on Saturday. Wilmot, certain that he had qualified, said he felt no pressure as he climbed the tower stairs, which may have resulted in a spotty performance for some. And although he said he dives best under heavy pressure, he managed to pull off a stellar dive.

Divers live for "rips", clean entries into the water that leave no splash. Going in perfectly vertical isn't enough.

"You kind of have to make a hole for yourself." Wilmot said, trying to explain the precise positioning of his hands as he hits the surface of the pool.

"I can feel when its a really, really clean entry. The water kind of sucks against you. It's a weird sensation."

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