FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Defending NCAA Division II 3-meter diving champion Isaiah Cheeks booked a trip to the 2023 championship pre-qualification meet as he turned in a qualifying score of 304.60 points over six dives off the 1-meter board to lead a contingent of Colorado Mesa University Mavericks at the Lumberjack Diving Invitational on Friday here at Northern Arizona University.
 
Combined with his performances at last month's home dual against Wyoming, Cheeks has now set his required qualifying scores which must come from two different meets.
 
He scored more than 50 points on four of his dives and received marks of 7 ½ and 8 on his 203B (Back 1 ½ Somersault Pike) before scoring 55.5 points with marks between 5 ½ and 6 ½ on his 305C (Reverse 2 ½ Somersault Tuck) that had a degree of difficulty of 3.0.
 
Cheeks and four teammates were the only men in the field, which also included 31 women from six schools.  CMU was the only non-NCAA Division I squad.  The women competed on the 3-meter board on Friday.
 
CMU's Josh Thomas finished second with a score of 237.30 points while Dawson Wilson was third with 222.55.  Aiden Coon (214.95) and Devon Gordon (210.45) also dove for the Maverick men.
 
Wilson had placed second in the preliminary round with 259.20 points while Thomas, Coon and Gordon all fared better in the finals.
 
Thomas and Coon set season-best scores.
 
In the women's 3-meter competition, freshman Kenya Meyer led four Maverick women with a preliminary round score of 213.60 points over six dives, a new collegiate best.  She finished 17^th, just one place short of a spot in the consolation final.
 
Kyra Apodaca (197.60) took 21^st while Aubrey Preisler (181.20, 27^th) and Mimi Licht (141.25, 31^st) also represented the Mavs.
 
Saturday's portion of the meet will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the prelminiaries in the women's 1-meter and men's 3-meter events.