March 9, 2015
ATHENS, Ga. - Auburn diver's Fraser McKean and Justin Youtsey earned a spot at the 2015 NCAA Men's Championships with their performances Monday at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships at the Gabrielsen Natatorium.
McKean led the Auburn men with a 12-dive list of 719.85 to earn a spot on the 1-meter at the national meet, placing fifth overall. Youtsey's score of 674.35 took seventh place during the first day of competition, giving the junior his first chance to represent Auburn at the NCAA Championships on the 1-meter springboard.
"I'm proud of Fraser and Justin for their performances," diving coach Jeff Shaffer said. "Fraser was consistent throughout both sessions and Justin hit all of his dives except one. It was a very good morning to get both of them qualified for the NCAA meet."
Both divers will be eligible to compete on the 1-meter springboard at the NCAA Championships, March 26-28, in Iowa City, Iowa. If McKean and Youtsey pick up top-12 finishes on the 3-meter board and on tower they will also be allowed to compete in those events at the national meet.
Freshman Pete Turnham put together a strong performance in his appearance at the Zone meet, taking 14th place on the 1-meter with a 12-dive score of 605.10. The freshman went 314.50 in prelims, qualifying 10th for the 18-diver final.
"I thought Pete had a strong morning. This is a big-time competition and anytime you're a freshman and in the hunt for a chance to qualify that's a good sign. He's made great progress throughout his first year at Auburn," Shaffer said, afterwards.
Shanna Schuelein represented the Auburn women in the 3-meter springboard final, placing 15th overall with a two-round score of 588.75. The senior qualified for the final with a prelim score of 275.55.
Both Cinzia Calabretta and Morgan Mullins just missed making the final. Calabretta placed 19th overall in prelims just 1.45 points away from qualifying for the 18-diver final, posting a 270.70. Mullins was 20th overall with a score of 270.30, missing out by 1.85 points. Junior Carly Scheper finished 26th with a six-dive list of 257.40.
The NCAA Zone B Diving Championships continue Tuesday as the men will move to the 3-meter, while the women will compete on the 1-meter springboard. Tuesday's action begins with prelims at 10 a.m. CT. Live scoring can be found on DiveMeets.com.
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