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ATHENS, Ohio -- Three members of the Ohio diving squad head to Ypsilanti, Mich. March 9-11 for the 2026 NCAA Zone C Diving Championships. The three-day event is hosted by Eastern Michigan inside Jones Natatorium. The event begins on Monday, March 9 at 1 p.m. for the 1-meter dive. On Tuesday, March 10, the 3-meter event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET, while platform is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 at 5:15 p.m. ET. All three days will be streamed on YouTube. 

Junior Astrid Pichardo (Guanajuato, Mexico) will represent the Bobcats in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dive. Junior Stephanie Balthaser (Delaware, Ohio) will join Pichardo in the 1-meter, while freshman Bella Basford (Cincinnati, Ohio) will compete in the 3-meter event. 

Pichardo is coming off a stellar finish at the 2026 MAC Championships two weeks ago, finishing seventh in the 3-meter dive with a score of 261.10, and sixth in the 1-meter dive with a score of 247.85. In order to advance to the 2026 NCAA Swim and Dive Championships next week, Pichardo is looking to finish at least 10th in the 1-meter and seventh in the 3-meter. 

Balthaser is making her first trip to NCAA Zones and is coming off an 18th-place finish in the 3-meter event at MACs, finishing with a score of 227.05.  

Basford is also making her first trip to Zones. In her first MAC Championships, Basford placed fifth in the 1-meter consolation final, 13th overall, with a score of 247.85. Meanwhile in the 3-meter event, she placed third in the consolation final and 11th overall, finishing with a score of 251.50. 

The rest of the Ohio swimming and diving squad will return to action later this week at the 2026 CSCAA National Invitational, March 12-14 at the FAST Facility in Ocala, Fla. 

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