THE FLATS – Max Fowler claimed his second consecutive ACC Championship in the three-meter dive with a final score of 459.75. He became the first Tech diver with multiple ACC Individual Championships and the first back-to-back conference champion for the white and gold since Gal Nevo in 2010.
Monday began with the men’s three-meter and women’s one-meter preliminary dives with seven Jackets competing. Fowler was amongst the pack three dives in after two sub-60-point scores to open the session. He reversed the momentum by nailing his reverse 3 1/2 somersault tuck to score the second-highest dive of the third round.
Fowler recorded his first 70-point dive off his reverse 1 1/2 somersault 3 1/2 twist free attempt in the fourth round and was back in the hunt for the finals. He rose above the pressure and landed a 75-point dive on his final dive to secure his spot in the final session.
Fowler has now appeared in all six ACC Championship finals in his career across the one-meter and three-meter disciplines. Elijah Klier placed 26th in the session with a final score of 304.45.
Lizzie Powley was the top finisher among Tech divers in the one-meter prelims, placing 14th with a final score 244.40. Last night’s three-meter finalist Elisabeth Rockefeller finished close behind in 17th with Kat Brooker in 28th place in her debut ACC Championships. Katie McKyton and Ava Gilroy rounded out the Jackets in 37th and 40th.
Fowler entered the finals as the reigning champion and gave an otherworldly performance. He crushed his first two dives to build up 144.25 points before giving two of the greatest dives of the competition.
His reverse 3 1/2 somersault tuck scored an outstanding 89.25 before laying down the reverse 1 1/2 somersault 3 1/2 twist free. The fourth dive scored 92.75, catapulting himself to the top of the leaderboard by a huge margin. His final dive of 76.50 put himself 35 points clear of the next diver to successfully defend his crown.
Fowler’s final score of 459.75 was second only to his program record dive set last month at 471.53. He now holds four of the five greatest three-diving sessions in school history. He also added his fourth ACC medal to the trophy cabinet, claiming his second conference gold.
Georgia Tech will continue with Day 3 of the 2026 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships. The day will begin with platform diving prelims at 10:30 a.m. before the first swimming events of the championship take place with the 200 medley and 800 free relays at 5:30 p.m. during the platform dive finals. Day passes are available here.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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