Results (PDF)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - A trio of Illinois divers competed at the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa, over the weekend. Senior Jessica Clifford, junior Olivia Kassouni and freshman Madeline Kuhn represented the Fighting Illini at the three-day competition.

"It was a terrific weekend for our divers," said diving coach Chris Waters. "The girls took some very big steps forward. We started a little slow on Friday, but definitely picked up steam Saturday and Sunday."

In three-meter diving competition, Kassouni scored a 269.65 to place sixth, while Clifford followed closely behind, placing seventh with a mark of 261.45. The competition was a milestone, as both divers reached their first collegiate finals.

Kuhn also found success over the weekend, joining her teammates in reaching her first finals. Kuhn placed eighth in platform diving competition with a score of 188.50.

"Obviously, we still have work ahead of us," said Waters. "But you have got to be happy as an athlete and coach when you can not only come out of competition feeling successful, but also with a much clearer picture of what you have to do in order to get better in the future."

The Illini swimmers and divers will split up again, as both squads will head for separate competitions on opposite sides of the country over winter break.