LEXINGTON, Ky. — It only took one day for LSU diver Niko Dalman to qualify for the NCAA Championships as the sophomore posted a third-place finish in the men’s 3-meter springboard Friday at the NCAA Zone B Meet from the Lancaster Aquatic Center.
“He delivered a great performance and was solid out of the gate,” said diving coach Doug Shaffer. “The top-three finishers really separated themselves from the rest of the competition.”
Dalman finished with a career-high, six-dive 3-meter score of 672.75 after collecting a tally of 346.15 in the prelims. Georgia’s Chris Colwill won the event (872.20), and Auburn’s Steven Segerlin was runner-up (787.35).
With the third-place finish, Dalman automatically qualified for all three diving events at the national championship meet, March 23-25, in Atlanta, Ga. He will attempt to earn All-America honors for the second consecutive season.
Junior Hali Saucier was the Lady Tigers’ highest finisher in the 1-meter Friday, taking sixth-place in the finals with a mark of 530.20.
“Hali did a fantastic job today,” said Shaffer. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens with the rest of the meet to see where she qualifies.”
Saucier, looking to reach the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career, will have two other chances to earn an automatic berth. The women’s 3-meter takes place Saturday, followed by the platform event on Sunday.
Saturday’s schedule of events begins at 11 a.m. CST.