ACC Sweeps Zone B Day One With Duke's Johnson and Reuben From Miami Winning Titles
Alabama: Two Alabama Divers Earn NCAA Championship Berths
Two more members of the Alabama Swimming and Diving team earned a spot at the upcoming NCAA Championships on day one of the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships being held here in Knoxville, Tenn. at the Jones Center.
Junior Aaron Fleshner is the sixth member of the Crimson Tide men’s team to earn an NCAA bid while freshman Carrie Dragland is the fourth member of the women’s squad.
“We had a great first day,” Alabama head coach Eric McIlquham said. “Both Aaron and Carrie have the potential to score some big points at the NCAA Championships, so it was important for them to have a strong showing here. Now we just have to keep it going and try to get some more folks to the championships.”
A two-year All-American, Fleshner finished second off the one-meter board with a score of 725.65 to earn his third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships. At the zone championships scores are determined by adding the preliminary and finals scores together. Sophomore Adam Booher finished 20th in preliminaries with a score of 282.80 points.
Dragland earned her first trip to the national championships with a second place finish off the three-meter board after scoring 655.40 points between prelims and finals. Sophomore Lauren Dunn finished 10th in finals with a combined score of 560.10. Junior Elizabeth Hughes was 21st and sophomore Olivia Covey was 37th in preliminaries with scores of 248.00 and 222.60 respectively.
There are 11 NCAA Championship berths for the men from Zone B and 10 for the women. The events are reversed on Saturday with the men taking to the three-meter while the women compete off the one-meter. On Sunday, both the men and women will compete off the platform.
Auburn: Kelly Marx Earns Spot At The 2009 NCAA Championships With Fourth-Place
Auburn junior Kelly Marx earned a spot at the 2009 NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish off the 1-meter springboard in NCAA Zone B Diving competition Friday afternoon.
Hosted by the University of Tennessee, the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships is a three-day meet, bringing together the top divers from 25 colleges and universities from the southeastern United States competing for bids to the 2009 NCAA Championships.
Friday's competition included the women's 3-meter and the men's 1-meter springboard.
Marx led the Auburn men, placing fourth in finals, scoring a 344.10 through six dives. The Overland Park, Kan., native posted a 346.85 to place fourth in prelims, advancing to Friday’s final round. Marx scored a two-round total of 690.95 with an average round score of 57.35.
“Kelly did a great job today,” said Auburn head diving coach Jeff Shaffer. “He set the example of how to compete in this event. At zones, you really have to go in and take care of business, be consistent and minimize mistakes. All the other divers had great moments but made some mental mistakes along the way.”
Marx won the 2008 1-meter SEC Championship and finished as runner-up in all three diving events at the 2009 SECs.
“It’s all about consistency,” said Marx. “I was able to do that. To finish in one of the top four was my goal. But you can’t really think about that.
“Pretty much now the pressure is all off, but you still want to prove that you are one of the best. It’s still the same ball game. My attitude hasn’t changed. We’re going to go in there tomorrow and try to score high and get everyone qualified for NCAAs.”
Junior Dan Mazzaferro finished Friday’s finals in eighth with an even 308. The three-time SEC Champion posted a 318.85 in preliminaries for a two-round total of 626.85 and an average round score of 51.33.
“I am pleased with Dan’s effort today,” said Shaffer. “He hit some great dives but his two big events are coming up tomorrow and Sunday in the 3-meter and platform.
“I just told everyone to stay with our game plan, focus on each individual dive and let the product come out at the end of the event.”
Auburn senior Scott Morgan placed 15th in the 1-meter finals with a 290.85 after scoring a 293.25 in prelims to make the finals cut. Freshman Adam Godzinski missed the finals after placing 26th in prelims with a 271.25.
“Adam’s improvement was great to see,” said Shaffer. “He was very consistent in his dives today and is starting to show a lot of improvement. For the freshmen, today was a big learning experience.”
On the women’s side, freshman Vennie Dantin led Auburn with a 12th-place finish on the 3-meter springboard, scoring a finals score of 271.95. The Conroe, Texas native was in 12th after prelims with a
271.85. Dantin finished the day with a 543.80 two-round total with an average round score of 45.33.
“Vennie had some great dives but also had some misses that prevented her from placing higher,” said Shaffer. “This was a good finish for her first diving zone event.”
Freshman Anna Aguero missed finals after placing 35th in prelims with a 229.85.
Miami’s Reuben Ross placed first on the day with a two-round total of 755.30. Alabama’s Aaron Fleshner placed second with Florida State’s Terry Horner in third. The pair scored 725.65 and 722.65, respectively.
Duke’s Abby Johnston won the women’s 3-meter competition, recording a two-round total of 659.85. Alabama’s Carrie Dragland (655.40) placed second followed by Miami’s Jenna Dreyer (650.80).
Action in the NCAA Championship-qualifying meet continues Saturday with the men's 3-meter and women's 1-meter at 12 p.m., at Tennessee’s Allan Jones Aquatic Center.
Duke: Johnston Wins Three-Meter NCAA Zone B Championship
Duke freshman diver Abby Johnston took first place today on the three-meter board at the 2009 NCAA Zone B Championships at the University of Tennessee’s Alex Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tenn.
Johnston’s combined score of 659.85 was good for first overall of 45 total divers, 18 of which advanced to this afternoon’s finals. After prelims this morning, Johnston stood in fifth place with 309.30 but moved into the lead after completing her dives again in the finals.
The freshman is the 2009 ACC champion in the event as well, and with the win Johnston becomes Duke’s first-ever diver to advance to the NCAA Championships. The national meet will be held next weekend, March 19-21, in College Station, Texas. With the victory in today’s event, Johnston will be invited to compete in all three events at NCAAs.
“It was a real solid day,” said diving coach Drew Johansen. “In a meet like this, it’s more a test of endurance and mental toughness, and Abby showed that she has both of those.”
“It was a great day and we look forward to two more just like it.”
Also in today’s finals, fellow freshman Jessica Lyden took sixth with a total score of 589.40, after she was eighth in prelims with a score of 279.80 through her first list of dives. As the NCAA pool is compiled by taking the top 10 women combined from each of the three events, Lyden could advance depending on how tomorrow’s one-meter and Sunday’s platform competition shakes out.
Junior Julie Brummond was 26th in prelims with her score of 244.85.
The men’s divers competed today on the one-meter board, with freshman Cody Kolodziejzyk taking 21st in this afternoon’s prelims with a score of 281.10, and freshman Shawn Hoffman finishing 36th with a 242.80.
The Blue Devils will be back at it tomorrow, with the women set for the one-meter and the men headed to the three-meter beginning at noon. Sunday will feature both the men and women on the platform.
Georgia Tech: WOMEN’S DIVING WRAPS UP DAY 1 OF NCAA ZONE B CHAMPIONSHIPS
Junior Hannah Krimm finished eighth, while Michele Bertolino was 17th in the three-meter diving event Friday during the first day of the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Tennessee.
11 male and 10 female divers will advance from this zone to the national meet, which will be held over the next two weeks in College Station, Texas.
The top four placers on the three-meter and one-meter boards, as well as the top two finishers on the platform all automatically qualify to the national meet.
Krimm will have to wait and see if her eighth place finish is good enough to advance to the NCAA Championships. She scored 272.85 points in prelims and finished with a combined score of 573.80. Krimm advanced last year and was an All-American in both the one- and three-meter events.
Bertolino, meanwhile, compiled a score of 261.65 in prelims and had a combined score of 520.50.
Both Krimm and Bertolino will compete on the one-meter board Saturday beginning at Noon.
Miami: Reuben Ross Takes 1m Title at Zone ‘B’ Championships
University of Miami junior diver Reuben Ross took the top spot in the Men’s 1-meter finals in opening day action of the NCAA Zone ‘B’ Diving Championships Friday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn. The event is being hosted by the University of Tennessee at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatics Center.
Ross, this year’s ACC Championship Most Valuable Diver, collected a final round score of 755.30 to take the win on the 1-meter springboard, finishing ahead of Aaron Fleshner of Alabama (725.65) and Terry Horner of Florida State (722.65).
Ross, a native of Regina, Saskatchewan (Canada) and defending National Champion and All-America performer, completed the preliminary round of diving today with a leading score of 380.05 to lead ACC member Horner (349.50).
He is expected to compete on the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform later in the weekend.
Also competing for the Hurricanes on Friday was senior Jenna Dreyer who finished in third place of the Women’s 3-meter Championship with a score of 650.80. Abby Johnston of Duke took top honors with a final round of 659.85, followed by Carrie Dragland of Alabama (655.40).
Miami junior Brittany Viola, this year’s ACC Most Valuable Diver at the Swimming & Diving Championships, was unable to perform today. Viola is resting up for her chance at defending the National Championship later in the season in her best event—the 10-meter platform.
The NCAA Zone ‘B’ Championships continue Saturday and Sunday with live scoring available throughout the meet by logging on to www.divemeets.com.
NC State: Divers Begin Stay at NCAA Zones
Four NC State divers were in action on the first day of the NCAA Diving Zones at the Allen Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center on the University of Tennessee Campus. Kristin Davies competed in the 3-meter dive on the women’s end, while men’s divers Scott Blackwelder, Alex Dambly and Austin Hampton all took part in the 1-meter dive.
Hampton was sensational in the 1-meter dive, taking ninth overall with a total score of 610.00 in 12 dives and putting himself in great position to grab a spot at the NCAA Championships. Hampton posted a 299.10 in his first six dives, exiting the prelim round in 13th overall before tacking on a 310.90 score in his final six dives.
Dambly finished 35th in the 1-meter prelims with a 247.30, while Blackwelder’s 212.00 was good for 43rd.
Davies placed 18th overall in the 3-meter dive with a 519.90 score in 12 dives. She was in 17th place after the prelims, posting a 261.05. Her dive gives her a good chance at making the NCAA Championships.
Blackwelder, Dambly and Hampton will resume competition tomorrow, Saturday, March 14, in the men’s 3-meter dive.
Tennessee: McCartney, Trudeau Make Finals At Zone B Diving Championships
Lady Vol divers Staley McCartney and Gabrielle Trudeau qualified for the finals of the 3-meter competition, but were unable to grab an automatic qualifying position to the NCAA Championships on Friday during the first day of the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.
UT is hosting the diving regional event, which will qualify 11 male and 10 female divers to the national meet, which will be held over the next two weeks in College Station, Texas.
The top four placers on the 3-meter and 1-meter boards, and the top two finishers on the platform all automatically qualify to the national meet.
Friday featured the women’s 3-meter and men’s 1-meter competitions.
Trudeau, a freshman, placed 13th with a combined score of 531.25, while McCartney, a senior, finished 14th with a combined score of 527.60.
The top 18 divers in the prelims moved to the finals. McCartney was 10th in the prelims with her second-best score of the season, 278.05. Trudeau was 13th in the prelims with a score of 264.85.
In the finals, McCartney scored 249.55, while Trudeau scored 266.40.
The pair will compete on Saturday on the 1-meter, while on Sunday the duo will appear on the platform, where they will be joined by sophomore Jill Pierce.
“Staley McCartney really exceeded expectations today,” UT diving coach Dave Parrington said. “This is likely her final collegiate meet and I couldn’t be happier for her. She’s really competing well and she’s a great girl.
“Gabbi (Trudeau) finished where I thought she should. She fought back in the finals which was good to see. The next two events are her best so it will be exciting to see what she is capable of.”
Freshman Jodie McGroarty, the top zone qualifier on the 1-meter and 3-meter for the Lady Vols, is sitting out the meet due to injury problems.
Duke’s Abby Johnson moved from fifth in the prelims to first overall with a combined score of 659.85 on the 3-meter. Joining her as automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Championships are Alabama’s Carrie Dragland (second, 655.40), Miami’s Jenna Dryer (third, 650.80) and Florida’s Kara Salamone (fourth, 640.05).
The Zone B Championships begin again on Saturday at noon with the trials and finals of the women’s 1-meter and men’s 3-meter. On Sunday, the women’s platform is scheduled to be from 10:15 a.m. to 12 p.m., with the men’s platform following from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
