Three Mountaineers Advance to Finals at NCAA Zones
March 08, 2016 05:55 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Three West Virginia University divers advanced to the finals on the second day of competition at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championship in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday.
To highlight the second day of competition for West Virginia, sophomores Alex Obendorf and Michael Proietto advanced to the finals for the men on 1-meter, and freshman Julia Calcut advanced to the finals in the women’s 3-meter.
“Today was a great day for the men and women,” WVU diving coach Mike Grapner said. “Julia (Calcut) made it back for finals on 3-meter. Her prelim was consistent and strong. She was right up there with some of the seniors and kept her cool the whole time. Maddy (Woods) was strong on several dives, but she just didn't hit the ones she needed, and that kept her out of finals.
“The boys had an outstanding day Alex (Obendorf) and Mike (Proietto) really stepped up and were fighting for the top-eight and top-10 spots right there with many former NCAA qualifiers. The growth and development from last year to this year has been significant.”
Proietto advanced to the finals on 1-meter after placing 15th in the preliminary round with a score of 285.40. In the finals, he finished eighth, scoring 312.70 on the springboard and with a combined score of 598.10.
Obendorf took a top-10 finish in the prelims, placing ninth with a score of 296.60. He finished 10th overall with a finals score of 298.70 and a combined score of 595.30.
On the women’s 3-meter, Calcut placed 16th in the prelims with a score of 253.95. She the finished 16th in the finals thanks to a 251.35 and a combined score of 505.30.
Freshman Madelyn Woods made an appearance on the women’s 3-meter board in the prelims, placing 37th overall with a score of 217.90.
“Tomorrow’s tower day is always dreaded yet a fun day for the divers,” said coach Grapner. “Since they don't have a tower for training they just go out there and have fun with it. I don't think they realize how competitive they are even against the divers who train tower.”
The top four men’s divers on 1-meter and platform and the top five on 3-meter will qualify for the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship, while the women will advance the top five divers on 1-meter and the top six on 3-meter and platform to the NCAA meet.
Competition concludes on Wednesday, March 9, with both the men's and women's platform at 11 a.m. ET. Live results can be found at divemeets.com.
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