Greg Duncan wins national championship in synchronized three-meter dive for UNC

Four North Carolina divers competed in the 2017 USA Diving Winter National Championships in Greensboro from Dec. 13 through Dec. 19. The Tar Heel divers saw mixed success, and the event was highlighted by first-year Greg Duncan, who won a national championship in the three-meter synchronized dive.

Two UNC men’s and two women’s divers qualified for the championships, which featured 150 top divers from across the nation. Of the ten events, divers from UNC competed in five: the mens’ and womens’ one-meter dive, mens’ and womens’ three-meter, and the men’s synchronized three-meter.

Duncan was the top performer for the Tar Heels. The first-year participated in the three-meter synchronized and took first place with his hometown partner Grayson Campbell, who represented the University of Texas. Duncan also placed fourth in the one-meter, but failed to qualify for the finals of the three-meter.

“He’s a funny animal,” head diving coach Abel Sánchez said. “He’s happy, but I don’t know if he’s ecstatic. He always wants to do better and do more. I know he’s grateful for the title.”

Sánchez saw Duncan’s performance as a sign of his potential.

“I think he definitely has all the tools to be an Olympian,” he said. “I know it’s kind of early, but if not for 2020, definitely for 2024. I think he has a bright career and we’re excited for him.”

Sean Burston, a Stamford, Conn., native and graduate student, also competed in the preliminary trials for the one and three-meter dives. He failed to finish in the top eight and did not qualify for the finals.

Senior Maria Lohman and graduate student Elissa Dawson both performed well. The pair both qualified for the three-meter finals, and Lohman also qualified for the finals in the one-meter.

“The girls showed up on the scene, Greg did a great job on the one-meter and won the three-meter (synchronized), so I’m extremely excited for them," Sánchez said. "We’re halfway through the collegiate season, so this is a good marker of where they need to be.”

North Carolina finished third overall out of 23 teams entered into the invitational tournament. It finished with 87.00 points, trailing only Miami (115.00) and Texas (235.50). While UNC did well as a team, individual performance is the primary focus of an invitational-style tournament.

Sánchez said that the tournament was good preparation for divers, as it's exactly the type they will see for the ACC and NCAA tournaments.

“We need to work on beating competition, big competition,” he said. “It’s one thing to have a dual meet then it’s a whole different animal to have an invitational type meet.”

Sánchez was also proud of his team’s performance, yet recognized that his divers had more to work on as they head into the heart of the season.

“I feel confident,” he said, “but we always want to be better and sharper. We’re ready to get back to work and get ready for the end of the season and the rest of our dual meets.”

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