GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The LSU diving team will take center stage when the 2005 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships get underway from the University of Florida’s Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Friday afternoon.
This year’s championships will follow a new format, featuring exclusively diving events, Friday, Feb. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 13. Friday’s schedule is slated to begin with the women’s 3-meter preliminaries at noon ET, immediately followed by the men’s 1-meter prelims. A finals session will conclude the day beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
Swimming events will get underway on Wednesday, Feb. 16 and continue through the weekend.
“This is a unique opportunity being that this is the first time we will see all of our SEC opponents all season,” said diving coach Doug Shaffer. “I am confident that our training has paid off. We just need to continue what we have been doing.”
Five Tiger divers are set to compete this weekend, including senior Jessica Wantz, who will attempt to become the school’s first SEC champion since Barb Gorst earned a platform victory in 2002.
Wantz wrapped up the dual meet season with 12 consecutive wins and currently owns the conference’s highest marks of any diver in the women’s 1-meter and 3-meter. Last year, she suffered through a neck injury for most of the season but still managed to place fifth and sixth in the 3-meter and 1-meter before earning All-American status at the 2004 NCAA Championships.
“The season has gone well and I feel that I have gotten into my groove at practice,” said the Houston, Texas native. “There are definitely a lot of expectations this year and the atmosphere will be intense.”
Joining Wantz on the women’s side will be sophomore Hali Saucier and freshman Paige Brown. Saucier experienced the championships last year and will take part in all three events this weekend.
On the men’s side, Andrew Keane enters the SEC Championships as the lone men’s diver with experience. Keane was LSU’s highest finisher in the men’s platform last year. Much of the attention will focus on highly-touted freshman Niko Dalman. The Auburn, Wash. native swept both diving events in the season finale versus Delta State and UL-Monroe.
“Niko has done well all year,” said Shaffer. “I expect he and everyone to have fun. Diving is a sport where you have to earn some experience to improve. This is an excellent opportunity that presents itself.”