Indiana’s Loukas Win Three Meter At Zone C Meet

Divers Take Top Spot, Add Another NCAA Qualifier at Zone Meet
Christina Loukas and Brittney Feldman went 1-2 in the women’s one-meter springboard competition, and freshman Linus Altman-Kurosaki earned his spot at the NCAA Championships to highlight the Hoosier efforts on day two of the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships in Minneapolis, Minn.

With their spots at the NCAA Championships already assured with yesterday’s performances in the three-meter springboard, Loukas and Feldman both came out strong with Loukas tallying her second first-place finish with a score of 636.10 over the two rounds. Feldman was second with a total of 574.05 points. Gabby Agostino, who also already has a spot at the NCAA meet, was fifth with 539.65 points. Christina Kouklakis was 22nd in the prelims (230.70), and Amy Korthauer 26th (214.55).

Marzullo finished third in the three-meter springboard with a 12-dive score of 818.75. Altman-Kurosaki was fifth with 759.40 points, which was good enough to punch his ticket to the NCAA meet in College Station, Texas. Jonathan Dohring also made his way into the final round, finishing 18th (617.70). Robert Dohring was 26th in the prelims (269.80), with Will Bohonyi 29th (228.10).

Ohio: Hamilton Takes 12th on 1-meter Board at Zone Championships
For the second-straight day, junior Lindsay Hamilton placed 12th at the Zone C Diving Championships hosted by the University of Minnesota, with Saturday’s performance coming on the 1-meter board. Friday at the Zone Championships, Hamilton finished 12th on the 3-meter springboard.

Ohio’s record holder in both 1- and 3-meter diving, Hamilton scored a 246.10 in the 1-meter prelims, which put her in 10th place (of 38) after the quarterfinals. The top 18 divers after the quarterfinals then advanced to the finals for another round of six dives later Saturday afternoon, where Hamilton scored a 241.90, for a cumulative total of 488.00 and a 12th place finish, as the prelim scores carry over to the finals.

“She did a good job. She missed one dive in the first lift (prelims) and one in the second lift (finals), but overall I’m very pleased,” Ohio diving coach Russ Dekker said. “She did a great job and with the caliber at this meet you don’t have any room for error if you want to qualify for the NCAA Championships. She represented Ohio and the Mid-American Conference very well. Lindsay and Katie (Carter of Akron) both did a great job.”

Akron’s Carter placed eighth on the 1-meter board with a total score of 531.25, after finishing 10th on the 3-meter board Friday. The other two competitors at the Zone C Championships from the MAC failed to qualify for the finals in either the 1-meter or 3-meter events.

Indiana University’s Christina Loukas and Brittney Feldman took first and second, respectively, in the 1-meter Zone C Championships, automatically qualifying for the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.

“The Championships were a good way to end the season,” Dekker said. “Lindsay was 10th and 12th as a freshman at the Zone Championships, so with her being out most of last year with an injury and not being able to practice diving, we’re still rebuilding from the injury and she still has promising junior and senior seasons ahead of her (after redshirting her injury season).”

The Zone C Championships conclude Sunday, March 15 with platform diving, which Hamilton will not compete in. Following the platform diving finals, the top-10 divers who qualified for the NCAA Championships will be announced.

Although Hamilton did not qualify for the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, Ohio will still be represented as junior Chelsey Bower (Bethel Park, Pa.) will compete in the 50 and 100 freestyle at the NCAA Championships next weekend.