Nicola Mancini in the 5th position on the podium
Nicola Mancini in the 5th position on the podium

Mancini Earns All-America Honors for Third Time with Fifth-Place Finish

GENEVA, Ohio – Bentley University diver Nicola Mancini (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth HS) completed her sophomore year in style Friday night by placing fifth off the one-meter board during the NCAA Division II Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at the Spire. That effort earned her All-America honors for the second time in three days and the third time in her career.

Mancini totaled 453.70 points in the final and missed a top two finish by a little more than 13 points as the field was tightly packed behind winner Kristin Day of California University (Pa.), who finished with a 497.05.

"Nicola is a real competitor, she loves to dive when it's all on the line," said Bentley diving coach Rick Danehy. "She has worked hard all year to raise her degree of difficulty and it really paid off this year."

Her best score during the finals was a 54.00 in her fifth dive of the evening session, an inward one-and-a-half somersault pike.

Mancini, who was seventh in the three-meter earlier in the week, finished sixth in the prelims, registering a score of 438.70. That included a high score of 46.80, achieved on a forward two-and-a-half somersault pike, her second dive of the day.