Nov. 18, 2011
ATLANTA - Auburn senior diver Vennie Dantin continued her winning ways Friday with a victory in the 1-meter final at the Georgia Tech Invitational, which continues through Sunday at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center.
Dantin scored a 309.35 to outpace two divers each from Virginia Tech and Miami and take the top spot in the final. She was also the top qualifier in the preliminary round with a score of 316.60, 20 points clear of the next-best qualifier. Teammate Anna Aguero took sixth place in the final with a score of 282.55; she finished fifth in prelims with a 275.05.
"I was pleased with their effort," Auburn head diving coach Jeff Shaffer said. "We're getting better every day. Vennie did an outstanding job, she was very consistent from dive one against some great competition. Anna had a really strong day as well."
Freshmen Shanna Schuelein and Cinzia Calabretta barely missed the finals, finishing 14th and 15th, respectively, in prelims. Schuelein scored a 249.55 while Calabretta posted a 246.85.
For the Tiger men, senior Adam Godzinski and sophomore John Santeiu barely missed the 3-meter finals with respective 11th- and 12th-place finishes. Godzinski scored a 327.25 to miss the top 10 by one point, and Santeiu earned a score of 324.95. Freshman Michael Beran finished 16th with a personal-best score of 304.90.
"Mike was probably our best performer today, he had a personal best," Shaffer said. "Adam and John were just a few points out of the finals, but they didn't compete to the level they've been training, so that was a little disappointing. But sometimes when you see your errors, you can make corrections and be stronger for it."
The men and women will switch boards for Saturday's competition with the men competing on 1-meter and the women on 3-meter. Prelims get underway at 11 a.m., and live results are available through DiveMeets.com.