KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — LSU diver Niko Dalman has qualified for the 2009 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships as the fifth-year senior captured one of 11 bids available at the Zone ?B’ Championships, which concluded Sunday in Knoxville, Tenn.
Dalman is the sixth athlete on the 17th-ranked men’s team to earn a trip to NCAA’s and will dive in all three events ? the one-meter, three-meter and platform. This will be the third career appearance at the national meet for the Auburn, Wash, native. He earned NCAA honorable mention All-America recognition in each of his two previous appearances.
The men’s meet will be held March 26-28 at the Student Rec Center Natatorium in College Station, Texas.
“It’s an accomplishment in itself for Niko to qualify to the NCAA Championships for the third time, which is very exciting and rewarding,” LSU diving coach Doug Shaffer said. “We’re looking forward to a good final senior campaign in a pool that he’s competed in a number of times.
“He’s steadily progressed in each competition throughout the season, but he hasn’t peaked, so it’s a good opportunity for him to shine.”
The Zone ?B’ Regional finished up Sunday with Dalman and freshman Matt Vieke competing in the men’s platform, and each reached the finals for the third straight day.
Dalman recorded a score of 291.60 to take eighth in the preliminaries before easing off the level of difficulty on his dives in the finals like many of the top divers who had already locked up their bid to NCAA’s. Vieke tallied 245.75 points in the prelims and registered a combined score of 500.80 to place 15th overall.