On Friday and Saturday, freshman diver Ryan McClelland returns to his home state of Michigan to compete in the 2017 NCAA Division III Regional Diving Championships on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. This comes just days after John Carroll Swimming & Diving won its first OAC Championship since 2004, breaking Ohio Northern's 12-year streak of dominance for Men's Swimming and Diving

McClelland had a first place finish in every meet he dove this season and was named OAC Diver of the Year for the 2016-17 season. In the OAC Championships this past weekend he finished first in the one meter dive with a score of 488.80, with a margin of nearly 70 points.  He also won the three meter dive by over 100 points with a 496.30. 

He will be competing against 30 of the top divers in the region in the three meter dive on Friday at 5:30 and the one meter dive on Saturday at 3:30. Both event results and a live feed will be shown here: http://calvinknights.com/sports/mswimdive/2016-17/2017_NCAA_III_Grand_Rapids_Diving_Regional  

To qualify for these events, divers must score a minimum of 275 (6 dives) or 425 (11 dives) in the one meter dive, and 285 (6 dives) or 440 (11 dives) in the three meter dive.

McClelland had a tremendous freshman campaign for the Blue Streaks, qualifying for postseason diving in just his fourth collegiate meet against Ohio Wesleyan. He only got better from there, posting career highs in the one meter against Oberlin (293.55) and the three meter against Wooster (291.10). His dive vs. Oberlin earned him yet another NCAA qualification.

This weekend's meet is the next step in the journey to the NCAA Championships in Shenandoah, Texas on March 15-18. McClelland is looking to become John Carroll's first All-America diver since Patrick Hulseman earned honorable mention status in 1-meter diving in 2006.