BATON ROUGE – LSU junior Lizzie Cui is in Columbus, Ohio preparing for the 2018 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet starts later today at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion with the 800 freestyle relay, but the diving events start tomorrow and run through Saturday.
“The focus for Lizzie is the same, stay grounded, focused, and in the moment,” said LSU diving coach Doug Shaffer. “At the same time, we have to treat it as it is. This is the national championship, and you don’t get a second chance.”
This will be Cui’s third time participating in the NCAA Championships. In her freshman season, Cui qualified on both springboards, where she finished 14th overall on three-meter and 45th on one-meter. Last season, Cui notched a fifth-place finish on one-meter, and took 17th on both three-meter and platform.
“Diving is a sport of experience and maturity,” said Shaffer. “Ideally, you improve on each experience. Lizzie hasn’t been to Ohio State yet, but she’s a very experienced traveler and competitor. Sometimes, the pool adjustment is more critical on platform, but the springboards will be the same. This is one of the best pools in the country. It’s hosted numerous conference and national competitions, so I’m excited.”
After a strong showing at the NCAA Zone ‘D’ Regionals, Cui will once again be competing on all three boards this week.
At Zones, Cui started the meet with a win on one-meter and a two-list score of 631.00. She later went on to finish third on three-meter and 12th on platform.
Cui also made the finals in all three events at last month’s SEC Championships. The highlight of the meet was her second-place finish on one-meter, scoring a season-high 330.00. Cui also finished fourth on three-meter and seventh on platform.
Cui’s NCAA Championships start tomorrow with one-meter, and continue with three-meter and platform on Friday and Saturday, respectively. If Cui makes the top eight following the prelims each afternoon, she will advance to the finals that evening. If she finishes between 9th and 16th, she will compete in the consolation finals 15 minutes after the conclusion of the prelims.
Live Results:
Divemeets: http://bit.ly/2DrSMfU
Broadcasting:
Thursday – 1-meter springboard:
Buckeye Vision: http://bit.ly/2HzGVPg
Friday – 3-meter springboard:
Buckeye Vision: http://bit.ly/2FAPVr0
Finals: ESPNU
Saturday – platform:
Prelims: Buckeye Vision: http://bit.ly/2DrGEvs
Finals: ESPN3
For more information and updates on LSU Swimming and Diving please visit LSUsports.net, ‘like’ us on Facebook at LSU Swimming and Diving or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @LSUswimdive.