MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – On the first day of the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships at West Virginia's Aquatic Center at Mylan Park in Morgantown, W.Va., junior Brett Hébert couldn't have asked for a better outcome, becoming Cornell men's swimming and diving's first NCAA Championships qualifier in a diving event in 33 years.

Competing in the 3-meter diving, Hébert needed a top-five placement to secure his spot to compete on the NCAA's biggest stage. He got off to a great start in prelims, notching a score of 352.20 to qualify for the finals. His point total marked the second-most in Big Red history in the six dive format.

After qualifying for the finals of the 1-meter diving at the 2019 NCAA Zone A Diving Championships and coming up short on an NCAA Championship qualification, Hébert was determined to achieve a different outcome this year in the 3-meter, and he did just that. With a score of 344.20 points in the finals, Hébert finished the day with 696.40 points between the two rounds. This was good enough for fourth place among 43 divers, punching his ticket to the NCAA Championships in the 3-meter diving.

"For my junior year, the goal was to improve upon last season," said Hébert. "The practices this year were tougher, but they were very productive. Everything we did in and out of the pool led me to this point, and I feel very fortunate to have done so well today."

With his fourth place finish, Hébert becomes Cornell men's swimming and diving's first NCAA Championships qualifier in a diving event since Steve Bannerot in 1987. That season, Bannerot qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the 3-meter and the 1-meter, where he finished 14th and 26th, respectively.

"Coaching Brett is an absolute blast, and I learn just as much from him as he learns from me," said Christian Torres, The Richard W. Gilbert Diving Coach. "It has been a long season and Brett has worked extremely hard, and although I really pushed him at times, the end goal is totally worth it in hindsight. To be able to say that we've been able to get the team to the national stage is very special."

Before Hébert heads to Indianapolis to compete in the 2020 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships on Wednesday, March 25 to Saturday, March 28, he will finish out the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships tomorrow when he competes in the 1-meter competition at noon.