April 23, 2009
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla - Auburn junior Kelly Marx placed second in Thursday's 3-meter springboard preliminaries, while he and teammate Dan Mazzaferro advanced as the second seed through 3-meter synchronized springboard prelims at the 2009 Speedo USA Spring Diving Nationals held April 22-26 at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatics Complex.
Competitors at the 2009 Speedo USA Spring Diving Nationals aim for a top-two finish, earning a spot on the U.S. National Team at the World University Games held June 30-July 12 in Belgrade, Serbia.
"Both Kelly Marx and Dan Mazzaferro showed great focus today," said Auburn head diving coach Jeff Shaffer. "They really came out today with their head in the game and it showed. Kelly is continuiung to put to together great lists off the 3-meter and is showing a tremendous level of confidence."
Marx accumulated a points total of 395.40 through six dives with his highest score coming from a back 2 1/2 somersault pike that earned him 73.50. The Overland Park, Kansas native averaged 65.90 per dive with a 18.50 Degree of Difficulty (DD).
The duo of Marx and Mazzaferro missed out on first place through prelims by a mere 2.82 points, coming in at 370.17. The pair averaged 61.70 per dive with a DD of 16.10. Marx and Mazzaferro hit their highest mark of the day picking up 72.42 on their sixth and final dive, a forward 2 1/2 somersault two twist pike.
Marx earned automatic qualification into the semifinals of the 2009 Speedo USA Spring Diving Nationa following a runner-up finish off the 3-meter at the 2009 NCAA Championships. Mazzaferro earned his way into semis by way of his performance at the 2009 USA Diving Selection Camp.
Competition at the event will be held in 1-meter springboard, 3-meter springboard, 10-meter platform, synchronized 3-meter springboard and synchronized 10-meter platform. The degree of difficulty requirements will be the same as the USA Diving Summer National Championships.
Action resumes for the Tigers Friday as Mazzaferro competes in the men's platform prelims. Additional information can be located at https://webpoint.usadiving.org/files/Event_PDFs/202_Event_Info.pdf. Live results can be found at www.divemeets.com or by accessing the schedule page on the Auburn swimming and diving web site.