Herrera, Marić Lead Miami on Day 1 in Atlanta

ATLANTA — Divers Briadam Herrera and Marcela Marić paced the Miami Hurricanes swimming & diving team Monday on Day 1 of the ACC Swimming & Diving Championships.

A four-time ACC gold medalist, Herrera picked up a silver medal in the 1-meter with a final-round score of 418.65. Herrera was the top finisher in the morning’s preliminary round with a score of 368.10, but Notre Dame’s Joe Coumos emerged with the gold in the night’s final.

“Briadam had quite a battle in the finals and finished a head short,” head diving coach Randy Ableman said. “It was a stepping stone on the way to the NCAA Championships. He’s a little disappointed he didn’t win, and I think it’s going to make him better down the road.”

Not to be outdone, Marić picked up her own silver medal in the women’s 3-meter. An Olympic diver who represented her native Croatia at the Rio 2016 Olympics, Marić jumped from sixth (303.10) to second (353.60) with a strong showing in the final.

“Marcela was fantastic…her and another girl were basically tied during the last dive,” Ableman said. “She competed a dive she had never done in competition before and nailed it. She was on fire, just couldn’t quite come up with enough on the last dive. But her getting second place is fantastic and a big boost for her confidence. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Miami’s 800 freestyle relay, comprised of freshman swimmer Manon Viguier, sophomore Ianire Casarin, senior Angela Algee and junior Julie Suarez, finished in a time of 7:12.82.

The Hurricanes’ 200 free relay entry finished in 1:41.41 and was comprised of senior Christina Leander, senior Julia Schippert, freshman Iliana Oikonomou and Viguier.

The ACC Swimming & Diving Championships continue Tuesday from the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center. Included in Tuesday’s action is the 500 freestyle, the 200 IM, the 50 free, the women’s 1-meter and the women’s 200 free relay.