LEXINGTON, Ky. — Junior Paige Brown capped a brilliant weekend with a third-place score in the platform on Sunday, giving the LSU women’s team an overall runner-up finish at the Southeastern Conference Diving Championships from Kentucky’s Lancaster Aquatic Center.
The Lady Tigers concluded the meet with 101.5 points, which was one and a half points behind SEC champion Kentucky. The Wildcats, competing in their home facility, accumulated 103 points and secured first-place with Taryn Ignacio’s win in the platform (319.75).
“I’m ecstatic at what our women’s team did this weekend,” said diving coach Doug Shaffer. “We had the highest place finish and the highest point total we’ve ever had in my career here at LSU.”
The 101.5 points now carry over for the Lady Tigers s wimming team, which competes beginning on Wednesday. Last season, LSU gathered 290 points — swimming and diving combined — and now the Lady Tigers have at least one-third of that.
“We’ve already gotten off to a good start,” said Shaffer. “Our team and I are excited about giving our swim team some points into next week.”
The LSU men’s team wrapped up the meet with 27 points to finish seventh overall. Auburn ran away with the men’s title by defeating second-place Florida, 128-55. However, the Tigers did not have the services of junior All-American Niko Dalman at the meet. Dalman is receiving a medical redshirt and will return full strength this summer.
LSU also held the second-highest total of combined scores between the women’s and men’s competitions with 129.5 points. Auburn compiled the highest tally with 261 points.
Brown, a native of Zionsville, Ind., posted a career-high mark of 293.65 to finish third. She improved by nearly 50 points from her preliminary score of 245.95.
“It was a milestone event for Paige,” said Shaffer. “We’ve known all along that this has been in Paige’s ability. She did the most spectacular list of dives in the women’s competition and had two near-perfect dives.”
Brown earned career-high finishes in all three events during the weekend. The junior took eighth in the 3-meter finals on Friday, and she finished tied for 12th in the 1-meter on Saturday.
Brown led an LSU charge where all three Lady Tiger divers qualified for the platform finals, which were the most by any school. Kentucky (two) was the only other school to send multiple divers to the finals.
Senior Hali Saucier finished with another career-high by taking fifth place with a score of 261.70. Saucier, who scored a mark of 259.95 in the prelims, was one of only four divers at the SEC meet to qualify for all three finals.
“Hali rounded out her SEC Championships’ career as a triple finalist,” said Shaffer. “I couldn’t be any prouder of what she has accomplished.”
Freshman Rachel Ware was sixth with a tally of 226.60. The Richmond, Texas, native finished as the highest scoring freshman among all of the competitors during the weekend.
“Rachel was the top freshman at the meet,” said Shaffer. “She was the highest scoring freshman in all three events, and she had the highest finishes of any freshman.”
On the men’s side, senior Andrew Keane was LSU’s highest scorer and nearly qualified for the finals with an eighth-place mark of 261.25. Sophomore Nathan Schreiber was 16th (221.85) and freshman Kalister Harmon was 19th (206.40). Auburn’s Steven Segerlin won for the third consecutive day with a score of 452.80.
The LSU divers now look to qualify for the NCAA Championships at the NCAA Zone B Diving Regional, March 2-4, in Athens, Ga.
“We are definitely pointed in the right direction with our performance this weekend,” said Shaffer. “I am confident looking at (NCAA) Zones, but we still have some work to do.”
2007 SEC Diving Championships
UK Lancaster Aquatic Center
Lexington, Ky.
Women’s Final Team Standings
1. Kentucky — 103
2. LSU — 101.5
3. Auburn — 84
4. Tennessee — 54
5. Georgia — 35.5
6. Arkansas — 30
7. South Carolina — 28
8. Alabama — 18
9. Florida — 15
Men’s Final Team Standings
1. Auburn — 177
2. Florida — 71
3. Alabama — 49
3. Georgia — 49
5. Tennessee — 37
6. South Carolina — 36
7. LSU — 28
8. Kentucky — 23
Combined Final Team Standings
1. Auburn — 261
2. LSU — 129.5
3. Kentucky — 126
4. Tennessee — 91
5. Florida — 86
6. Georgia — 84.5
7. Alabama — 67
8. South Carolina — 64
9. Arkansas — 30