KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — LSU senior Niko Dalman and freshman Matt Vieke each reached the final round of the one-meter springboard competition Friday to lead the Tigers on the opening day of the Zone ?B’ Diving Championships at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tenn.
After qualifying for the one-meter finals with a preliminary mark of 320.15, Dalman tallied 329.75 points on six dives in the finals to register a combined score of 649.90 and secure sixth overall out of a field of 45 divers.
The two-time All-American closed strong, recording 120.55 points on his final two dives of the afternoon, the back and inward two and one half somersault tucks, to hold off Brent Sterling of Tennessee and Daniel Mazzaferro of Auburn.
Vieke qualified for the finals with a prelim mark of 294.75 and totaled 279.40 in the finals to earn 17th with a combined score of 574.15. Fellow freshman Brian Gemberling placed 24th overall with a prelim score of 277.00. The Levittown, Pa., native missed the finals by just 13 points.
On the women’s side, freshman Katie Lybbert finished in 31st-place in the three-meter with her prelim mark of 240.65.
“Overall, I was pleased with the Tigers’ performance today in Knoxville,” LSU diving coach Doug Shaffer said. “Niko placed sixth in the one-meter, which was a good effort, and he has his best event, the three-meter, tomorrow. This is a very tough field, and we had two divers reach the finals, and Brian and Katie performed well also.”
Miami’s Reuben Ross took the men’s one-meter crown with a combined total of 755.30. Duke’s Abby Johnston edged Alabama’s Carrie Dragland with a total of 659.85 to emerge victorious in the women’s three-meter.
The men and women will switch springboards for Saturday’s action as the men take off from the three-meter and the women compete on the one-meter. The competition will begin at 11 a.m. (CDT), and a link to the live stats will be provided by www.LSUsports.net.