Tyler wins NCAA championship on platform
Mar. 26—MOULTRIE — Colquitt County's Carson Tyler scored 99 points on his fifth dive and went on to win the platform diving title at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday in Minneapolis.
The Indiana University and Moss Farms diver scored a 476.30 to win the platform event over Tennessee's Bryden Hattie, who was second with a 455.10.
Tyler's 3 1/2 somersault tuck earned perfect 10 scores from six of the seven judges. The other gave him a 9 1/2.
He then added an 81-point dive in the final round.
Tyler's performance gave Indiana its first national platform diving championship and its 21st overall.
Tyler also was first in the platform prelims.
According to the Indiana University website, Hoosiers diving coach Drew Johansen called Tyler's effort "an amazing ending to an unbelievable week. Carson was spectacular tonight."
Johansen added that the fifth-round dive came "at the most critical moment of the event. Absolutely clutch!"
Also in the championships, Tyler finished fourth in the 3-meter finals with a 415.60.
The platform championship and the fourth-place finish on 3-meter earned Tyler a pair of All-America honors.
He was 20th on 1-meter.
Tyler turned in three personal-best scores at the NCAA Championships: 431.05 on 1-meter; 457.35 on 3-meter; and 476.30 on platform.
His efforts helped lead Indiana to a fourth-place finish in the Championships.
Tyler's Indiana teammate Andrew Capobianco, an Olympic silver medalist, finished his collegiate career with his third 3-meter championship.
The platform title culminated an outstanding sophomore season at Indiana for Tyler.
He was the top qualifier from NCAA Zone C Diving Championships on 3-meter springboard and was the No. 3 qualifier on both 1-meter and platform.
As a freshman, he was 12th on platform, 18th on 3-meter and 27th on 1-meter at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
He also was the top qualifier on 3-meter, No, 2 qualifier on platform and No. 5 on 1-meter.
Tyler competed in the 2021 Olympic Team Trials and is a two-time Georgia High School Association champion, setting the state record as a senior.
As a Moss Farms Diving Tiger coached by John Fox, Tyler was a two-time Junior National champion and had three top-3 finishes at Junior Nationals.
He also was a member of the 2019 Junior Pan-American Championships team.
