Feb. 13, 2011
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Redshirt senior Dan Mazzaferro captured his third-career SEC platform title Sunday on the final day of the 2011 SEC Diving Championships. At the conclusion of the diving competition, the Auburn men are first with 136 points and the Auburn women stand in first with 96 points.
"This was a great competition and I'm absolutely honored to be on top of the podium," Mazzaferro said. "I'm very proud of the entire team for stepping up and scoring a lot of points for Auburn. It was a great weekend and we're looking forward to next week."
Mazzaferro, who qualified first following prelims, led right from the start of competition as he tallied 72 points on his first dive and 75.6 on his second. He followed with a nearly perfect third dive, garnering 92.4 points. At the conclusion of the competition, Mazzaferro finished first with 475.20 points.
With the win, Mazzaferro became the first Auburn diver to capture three SEC titles in one event during a career and Auburn has won nine of the last 10 SEC men's platform championships. For his efforts this weekend, Mazzaferro was named the 2010-11 SEC Male Diver of the Year. He also won the honor at the conclusion of the 2009 SEC Championships.
"We put a lot of emphasis on the platform and it is great to see all that hard work pay off for Dan (Mazzaferro)," head diving coach Jeff Shaffer said. "He really stepped up going into the finals and is now closer to his goals for the season."
Shaffer was named the 2010-11 SEC Men's Diving Coach of the Year at the end of the championships. The honor is the sixth of his career and his fifth-consecutive award.
Freshman John Santeiu IV concluded his first SEC meet with a second-place finish on the platform. He tallied 362.95 points - less than a point away from a personal best. Sophomore Thad Ellis reached the finals and finished eighth overall with 294.75 points. Also scoring for the Tigers was junior Adam Godzinski, who came in 15th with a season-high 281.95 points.
"John (Santeiu) put a solid end to a great championships and I'm very proud of him," Shaffer said. "All the men did well this weekend and it was very rewarding to see everyone step up."
On the women's platform, juniors Anna Aguero and Vennie Dantin qualified first and third at the end of the morning's preliminary session. Throughout the finals, the pair battled with Florida's Monica Dodson for the top spot during the competition. Dantin notched a 67.5 on her first dive, while Aguero opened with a 68.15. Aguero followed with a 74.25 on her second dive to hold on to first.
Competition remained tight and Dodson pulled ahead slightly in the fourth round and held on to the end. At the end of meet, Dantin finished third with 299.90 points and Aguero finished in second with a career-best 308.90 points.
"Vennie (Dantin) and Anna (Aguero) were right there throughout the entire final," Shaffer said. "There hasn't been a final that wasn't contested to the last dive. I'm very happy to see that competitive fire in us. I couldn't be more proud of the entire team with their dominating performances this weekend."
At the conclusion of the weekend, the Auburn men hold first 136 points with Tennessee second (133.5), Florida third (49), LSU fourth (47.5) and Alabama fifth (43). The Auburn women stand in first with 96 points and Florida is second with 89 points. South Carolina (62), Arkansas (50) and Georgia (38) round out the top five.
The Auburn swimming team travels to Gainesville for the four-day SEC Swimming Championships, Feb. 16-19. The scores from the diving competition will carry over to swimming.
Auburn Swimming and Diving
2010 SEC Diving Championships - Day Three Finals
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Stephen C. O'Connell Center; Gainesville, Fla.
Auburn Finalists - Women's Platform: Championship Finalists - 2. Anna Aguero (308.90); 3. Vennie Dantin (299.90); Men's Platform: Championship Finalists - 1. Dan Mazzaferro (475.20); 2. John Santeiu IV (362.95); 8. Thad Ellis (295.75).