CHAMPION! Pellacani Wins NCAA Title On 1-Meter
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – ACC gold medalist. European Aquatics champion. Italian Olympian.
On Thursday night at the Weyerhaeuser Aquatic Center, University of Miami diver Chiara Pellacani added another remarkable accomplishment to her sparkling résumé:
2025 NCAA national champion.
Miami’s fourth-year standout, who took an Olympic redshirt year last season, won the first collegiate national title of her career on her first day of competition at the 2025 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships.
“Honestly, I don’t even know what’s going on right now. But I’m so happy, it was amazing,” Pellacani said afterwards. “I had so much fun. So many good divers. It’s always amazing competing here.”
Pellacani took first nationally in the 1-meter springboard just ahead of teammate Mia Vallée, who was second, to become the 17th diver in University of Miami history to capture a national championship.
By qualifying for the night’s eight-woman final round, both were named NCAA All-Americans.
Pellacani’s score of 354.65 bested her Canadian counterpart’s final total of 333.85 to become the first diver to win a national championship under first year head diving coach Dario Di Fazio. Her top-scoring dive in the night’s finals was her fourth effort, a reverse 2 1/2 somersault tuck that scored 64.50 points.
“It meant a lot,” Pellacani said when asked about representing Miami’s program at the NCAA Championships. “Dario is amazing. This is his first year as a head coach and he’s doing really well. Mia is an amazing diver, too. We always have fun practicing together. It’s a competition between us [at practice], and doing it here is even more fun.”
Pellacani posted the top score in the morning’s preliminary round (338.80), also just slightly ahead of her teammate’s score of 323.40. Pellacani’s title was the first by a Hurricane diver since Vallée captured the 1-meter championship in 2022 and capped a banner first night for the Hurricanes women.
To begin the evening, veteran swimmer Giulia Carvalho finished 11th in the nation in the 50-yard freestyle with a new school record of 21.65 to capture NCAA Honorable Mention All-America honors.
Miami’s women return to the pool on Friday for another day of action at the 2025 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships.
