As the No. 2 Stanford women’s swimming and diving team moves into competition in the national qualifiers, the Cardinal athletes are competing just as fiercely above water as they are within it.

On Monday, at the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships at Northern Arizona University, Stanford had three divers qualify for the NCAA Championships in Atlanta on March 16-18. Senior Alex Clay and sophomore Gracia Leydon-Mahoney each had top-six performances in the 1-meter event. Leydon-Mahoney finished fifth with a score of 605.10, while Clay was right behind her in sixth with a score of 576.25.

Clay and Leydon-Mahoney were at it again in the 3-meter event on Tuesday, this time along with senior Lilly Hinrichs. Leydon-Mahoney, who won the event during Pac-12 Championships at the end of February, finished fourth with a 644.85 after putting in the top dive during the preliminary round. Clay landed a 597.00 to put her in ninth, while Hinrichs was hot on her tail with a 588.25 that landed her in tenth, all of which proved to be qualifying scores in the 59-person field.

The trio will each get the chance to qualify for one more event, with the platform scheduled to take place this Wednesday. Leydon-Mahoney won this event during the Pac-12 Championships off the strength of her final round performance, while Hinrichs scored the best dive in the preliminary round but fell to eighth after her remaining attempt.

Followers of the “golden age of Stanford swimming” can follow updates on Pac12.com.

Contact Kit Ramgopal at kramgopa ‘at’ stanford.edu.