“It can be really tough keeping our energy up for invitationals since they are two to three days long, but it is helpful to look at each day as a fresh start,” sophomore Mikaela Thompson said. “We have such a supportive team and cheer each other on so much that if you’re a little low in energy one of your teammates is there to pick you up.”

Junior Jing Leung—the team’s only competitor in the platform competition—took home fourth place with a score of 236.75. Leung, an NCAA first team all American, placed highest of any Harvard diver in any event, only falling behind two divers from UCLA and one from Michigan.

The junior found success on the springboards as well, placing ninth in the 3 meter finals, ahead of fellow junior Hannah Allchurch.

The meet proved tumultuous for Thompson, who saw her scores slip from 299.80 in the prelims—good for a bronze—to 257.90 in the 3 meter finals. Thompson ultimately finished 13th in the event. Again, the sophomore went into the 1 meter finals having taken third in the preliminaries, only to end the day with 11th overall. Even so, her performances proved top-notch among her teammates.

“Knowing that your team is behind you 100% regardless of whether you put in your best dives or fall a little short of what you might have hoped is really important when you’re competing for a team,” Thompson said.

–Staff writer Isabel DeLaura can be reached at idelaura@college.harvard.edu.