ATHENS, Ga. — Senior Hali Saucier and freshman Rachel Ware have officially punched their tickets to the Women’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The two divers posted qualifying scores at the NCAA Zone B Regional, which wrapped up here Sunday at the Gabrielsen Natatorium.
Saucier earned her berth on Friday when she captured the 3-meter regional title (636.80). She put the finishing touches on her career weekend with a fifth-place finish in the platform (557.60) as LSU’s highest scorer. Saucier scored top-five finishes in all three events, which included 50 participants from around the region.
Ware, a native of Richmond, Texas, qualified for the NCAA meet with her sixth-place score in the 1-meter on Saturday (525.95). She finished 16th in the platform finals on Sunday (423.95).
“It’s very rewarding to know we have multiple qualifiers for the NCAA Championships,” said diving coach Doug Shaffer.
LSU last sent a women’s diver to the NCAA Championships in 2005 when senior Jessica Wantz earned a berth. Saucier and Ware form the first multiple qualifiers for the Lady Tigers since Wantz and All-American Barb Gorst did so in 2003 in diving coach Doug Shaffer‘s first season.
Saucier is also the first LSU diver to win an NCAA regional championship since Gorst captured the platform event that same season.
Ware, the lone freshman to qualify out of Zone B, joins elite company. The SEC Freshman Diver of the Year becomes the first LSU female freshman to earn a berth to the national meet since Ashley Culpepper in 1998.
“I knew she had the talent to do it,” said Shaffer. “We were still ironing out the details right to the very wire of the competition, but she came through. Rachel has a very bright future. This sets a standard for her now and gives her confidence that will carry on for the rest of her career.”
Shaffer continues to perpetuate the success of the LSU diving program. Saucier and Ware become the fifth and sixth divers to qualify for NCAAs during his tenure. At least one LSU diver — men or women — has competed at the national meet in all five of his seasons with several of that group becoming multiple qualifiers during their careers.
Junior Paige Brown just missed earning an NCAA berth on Sunday as all three Lady Tiger divers qualified for the platform finals. Needing a top-five finish, Brown took seventh in the event with a score of 498.70.
“Paige was so close and right outside of the window of qualifying,” said Shaffer. “Her performance was the best of her career at this level. It would have been quite a feat to send all three to NCAAs.”
On the men’s side, two out of three Tiger divers qualified for the platform finals. Senior Andrew Keane wrapped up his career as LSU’s highest scorer with a 12th-place mark of 554.00. Sophomore Nathan Schreiber took 16th (519.85).
“The men overall did a great job,” said Shaffer. “It was a super competition on the men’s side. We are fortunate to have a strong zone with a lot of elite divers from the SEC. Andrew concluded his career with his best-ever finish at Zones.”
Ware and Brown join five LSU swimmers — Colleen Bertirotti, Katherine Noland, Katie Gilmore, Signe Larson and Sabrina Messmer — at the national meet beginning on Thursday. The three-day meet is being held at the Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn.