GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Sophomore Hali Saucier qualified for her third consecutive final as the 2005 SEC Diving Championships wrapped up with the platform competition at the University of Florida’s O’Connell Center on Sunday.
The LSU women’s team closed out the competition with the conference’s fourth-highest point total of 57, while the men’s team earned the eight-best mark with 18 points.
Saucier’s performance over the weekend was brilliant and perhaps the best of her career. After qualifying for the finals of the 3-meter and 1-meter on Friday and Saturday, she topped that by placing sixth overall in the platform event on Sunday with a tally of 362.40. In the morning round, the sophomore qualified for the finals with a score of 374.70.
Senior Jessica Wantz closed out her final SEC Championship appearance with a ninth-place showing in the platform, just shy of qualifying for the finals. Kentucky’s Taryn Ignacio was crowned the champion, posting a winning mark of 443.75.
Andrew Keane and Niko Dalman placed ninth and 10th, respectively in the men’s portion of the event. Keane scored a mark of 385.50. Dalman, in his first SEC Championship appearance, finished with a score of 382.60. Auburn’s Steven Segerlin won with a tally of 582.95.
The swimming portion of the championships get underway on Wednesday, Feb. 16 with preliminary sessions set to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET.