March 3, 2007
AUBURN, Ala. - With three divers already guaranteed spots at the NCAA Championships following their performances Friday, Auburn continued competition Saturday at the Zone B Diving Championships in Athens, Ga. Although the Tigers did not get another automatic qualifier, freshman Kelly Marx put himself in a position to join his teammates for the championship meet in Minneapolis.
Marx finished fifth in the men's 3-meter competition with a score of 708.00, just three-tenths of a point behind the fourth-place finisher and final automatic qualifier from Saturday. Steven Segerlin, the defending NCAA Champion in the platform who already qualified for the NCAA meet during Friday's 1-meter event, can help Marx reach the NCAA meet by finishing first or second during the platform competition Sunday, allowing another diver to be added to the field from the 3-meter competition.
"Kelly did a great job," said head diving coach Jeff Shaffer. "He's probably the performer of the day. His second list would have been a personal best. It was really impressive to see him step up in a very tough contest."
Segerlin finished seventh in the 3-meter event with a score of 688.25, while freshman Dan Mazzaferro (616.40) was 14th, sophomore Scott Morgan (585.40) finished 17th and freshman Caleb Dunnichay just missed a spot in the finals, placing 20th with a score of 287.20.
The women's side did not hold as much drama for Auburn, as the Tigers' top two divers both qualified for the NCAA meet during Friday's 3-meter competition. The women competed on the 1-meter board Saturday, and sophomore Corey Gerlach, who was the runner-up Friday, finished third Saturday with a score of 565.35.
Senior Lynnsey Segraves, who earned the fifth and final automatic spot during Friday's competition, was seventh on the 1-meter board with a score of 524.70. Freshman Emily Griesemer reached the finals as well, placing 18th with a score of 469.10.
Sunday will be the third and final opportunity for the divers to qualify for the NCAA meet when they compete on the platform. The men will dive first beginning at 9 a.m. CT, followed by the women.
"We're hoping Steve can help his teammate (Marx) out and finish first or second, or Kelly or Dan can help themselves out by finishing first or second themselves," said Shaffer. "It would have been nice to get Kelly in today, but we can't be disappointed because it's a tough competition with a lot of great divers. He is on the bubble, but I'm pretty confident things will work out tomorrow."
Divers who advance will join the swimmers for the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis. The women's NCAA meet is March 8-10, while the men will compete March 15-17.
Live results are available on Georgia's athletics website: www.georgiadogs.com.