AUBURN, Ala. — Three LSU divers finished in the top five of their events Friday in the opening day of the NCAA Diving Regionals. The competition is being held in the James E. Martin Aquatics Center in Auburn, Ala.
Lady Tiger sophomore Jamie Watkins placed fourth in the women’s 1-meter springboard competition while LSU junior Ashley Culpepper rounded out the Top five in the event with a fifth-place finish.
Corey Fox, LSU’s junior diver from Carson City, Nevada, was the third Tiger to finish in the Top five of their event. Fox placed fifth in the men’s 3-meter springboard event.
“I am very proud of the way that our divers have performed so far,” said LSU diving coach Scott Reich. “Ashley, Jamie, and Corey did a great job today, and hopefully everyone on the team will be able to keep up the good work for the rest of the weekend.”
Watkins ended the day with a score of 421.90 points in the 1-meter event to finish in fourth-place. Culpepper scored 413.55 points from the board to earn fifth-place honors, while LSU senior Gretchen Mury placed 13th with a score of 380.15.
The University of Miami’s Jenny Keim won the women’s 1-meter event by finishing the competition with 427.80 total points. The Lady Tigers’ sophomore Holly Winters and freshman Michelle Coryell placed 29th and 32nd respectively. Winters finished with a score of 166.20 and Coryell had 162.20.
Fox ended the men’s 3-meter springboard competition with 576.50 total points. The divers from Miami finished in the Top four positions with sophomore Stephen Ahrens winning the event. Ahrens finished the day with a score of 610.20.
LSU junior Erik Petursson also turned in an impressive performance in the 3-meter event by placing 14th. Petursson
finished with 497.40 points.
The NCAA Zone B Diving Regionals will conclude Saturday here in Auburn, Ala., beginning with the men’s 1-meter and the women’s 3-meter springboard competitions, which will be held simultaneously beginning at 10 a.m. The men’s platform competition will start at 3:30 p.m., followed by the women’s platform competition at 6 p.m.
Qualifiers from this weekend’s regional meet will advance to the NCAA National Championships.
FINAL RESULTS, WOMEN’S 1-METER, TOP 10 FINISHERS
1. Jenny Keim, UM (427.80), 2. Robyn Grimes, UF (425.10), 3. Emily Spychala, UM (423.85), 4. Jamie Watkins, LSU (421.90), 5. Ashley Culpepper, LSU (413.55), 6. Lane Basham, UA (407.15), 7. Olivia York, AU (404.60), 8. Carrie Knoeber, UK (403.25), 9. Lizzy Flint, UT (402.65), 10. Katie Beth Bryant, UM (394.85).
FINAL RESULTS, MEN’S 3-METER, TOP 10 FINISHERS
1. Stepan Ahrens, UM (610.20), 2. Kyle Prandi, UM (579.55), 3. Tyce Routson, UM (579.50), 4. Imre Lengyel, UM (579.45), 5. Corey Fox, LSU (576.50), 6. Gabi Chereches, UT (556.30), 7. Clayton Moss, UK (554.30), 8. Jud Campbell, UGA (553.00), 9. Shannon Roy, UT (535.25), 10. Brandon Hulko, USC (526.75).