March 5, 2018
Alison Maillard and Pete Turnham are going back to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Maillard finished fifth on the 1-meter at the NCAA Zone B Championships on Monday, assuring the Houston native of a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships. Turnham did the same, finishing fifth on the 3-meter, also ensuring a second straight trip.
Maillard scored a 291.25 to qualify second out of 38 divers in prelims. She then scored a 273.60 in finals to finish with a 12-dive score of 564.85, earning her spot on the NCAA Championship team.
"Alison had two solid lists," diving coach Jeff Shaffer said. "I'm real proud of her effort. The key is to survive and advance and she did that."
Turnham, from Auburn, scored a 331.95 to qualify 13th out of 38 divers in prelims. He then posted a 378.70 for a 12-dive score of 710.65 to vault into fifth and capture a second career NCAA berth.
"Pete was in the hunt all day long," Shaffer said. "Going into the finals he needed a big dive and he got it. His best event is yet to come (1-meter) but he's already made the meet."
Junior Scott Lazeroff also advanced to the 3-meter finals, posting a 345.05 in prelims to qualify seventh. A second six-dive score of 355.25 only pushed him to 10th in the finals with a 700.30.
"Scott was consistent," Shaffer said. "His best event is platform so we are going to rest him tomorrow (1-meter) and get him ready."
With their fifth-place finishes on Monday, both Maillard and Turnham now just needs to finish in the top 12 on the remaining boards to dive those events at the national championships. Should Lazeroff grab one of the men's platform automatic qualifying spots, he will also be entered into the 3-meter competition.
"Day one is complete and it was a very strong day for us," Shaffer said. "The pressure is off for Alison and Pete and I am looking for equally strong results on Tuesday and Wednesday."
Freshman Logan Andrews finished 22nd with a 296.90.
The Zone Championships continue on Tuesday with the men's 1-meter and women's 3-meter competition.
The event is at the Jones Aquatic Center at the University of Tennessee.
Tuesday Schedule of Events
10 a.m. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Men's 1-meter prelims
12:15 p.m. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Men's 1-meter finals
2:30 p.m. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Women's 3-meter prelims
4:55 p.m. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Women's 3-meter finals
Wednesday Schedule of Events
9 a.m. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Men's platform prelims
10:55 a.m. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Men's platform finals
1:45 p.m. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Women's platform prelims
3:15 p.m. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Women's platform finals