Greensboro, N.C.—The month of March is a pivotal one for the top swimming and diving programs in the country, such as the University of Hawai'i, as it's another chance for student-athletes to showcase their skills on the national level.
 
While the 2021 season has been turned upside down more than once, in many ways, it's another year of normalcy for head diving coach Mike Brown and assistant coach Anita Rossing as both the men's and women's teams will be represented in Greensboro, North Carolina. On March 18th, the women's team will compete with sophomore Daphe Wils and freshman Elma Lund across a three-day span.
 
Wils will have opportunities in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events, while Lund will perform in the platform. A week ago, Wils showed her force, winning the 3-meter and placing second overall in the 1-meter of the NCAA Zone E Championships. The 2021 season will mark the first appearances by Wils and Lund at the NCAA Championships. Still, Wils qualified last season, winning the 1-meter and 3-meter events at the Zone E meet before the nationals' cancelation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Since arriving on the island of O'ahu in 2019, Wils, a member of the Dutch National team, has been dominant, breaking both the UH records in the 1-meter and 3-meter last season. In the shortened 2021 season, Wils has claimed victories in both events at the MPSF Championships while showcasing strong performances at the USC Diving Invitational in mid-February.
 
Lund has been a welcome addition to the nationally recognized squad. At USC, Lund finished second overall in the platform while recording third-place finishes in the 1-meter and 3-meter of a double dual meet against Wyoming and UNLV in late January.
 
Both add to the adage and legacy of the UH diving program under Brown and Rossing. Since 2004, the diving program has had at least one student-athlete competing at the NCAA Championships, including QiongJle Huang winning a 1-meter national championship in 2005, followed by Emma Friesen in the same event three years late in 2008.
 
Wils will get her chance beginning on Thursday with the 1-meter where she'll be one of 50 divers in the event, and she'll be following up with the 3-meter on Friday against another large field of 46 entries. Lund will wrap up the diving portion of the championships on Saturday with the platform against 43 other divers.