University of Florida
sophomore Jonathan Wilcox (Bellevue, Wash.) and senior Justin Schmidt (Falcon, Colo.) both
qualified for finals in the 3M dive on Saturday at the NCAA Zone B Diving
Championships. Wilcox placed 11th with a score of 667.75, while Schmidt turned
in a 15th-place showing with a score 604.35. Sophomore Aaron Leech (Newark, Del.)
also competed on the 3M board, finishing 28th with a score of 265.35 in
prelims.
“We
were in the same position last year as we are now, needing to dive well on the
final day to make the NCAA meet,” Florida
diving coach Donnie Craine said. “We still have a chance. This is a
tough zone, and we’re going to be leaving some good divers home.”
On
the women’s side, freshman Jennifer Funch (Cincinnati, Ohio)
was UF’s top finisher for the second-consecutive day, taking 22nd on the 1M
board with a score of 230.85. Junior Sarah Ellerby
(Oldsmar, Fla.)
finished 30th with a score of 209.65, while sophomore Jeana
Bartell (Boca Raton, Fla.) totaled 208.45 points to place
34th. Sophomore Whitney Stern (Safety
Harbor, Fla.) rounded
out the Gator lineup with a score of 200.00 and a 44th-place finish.
“Our
women are gaining experience, which was one of our goals for this meet,” Craine
said. “I’ve seen some better dives out of them than I did at the conference
meet, which is an encouraging sign.”
Diving
action will continue at Georgia’s
Gabrielsen Natatorium on Sunday, as the men will take
to the platform at 10 a.m. EST and the women will do the same at 1 p.m. EST. Live scoring can be found at www.georgiadogs.com.
