ATHENS, Ga. — An LSU-record six divers qualified for the 2001 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships this weekend at the Zone B Diving Regionals in the Gabrielson Auditorium on the campus of the University of Georgia.
“All eight of our divers did a fantastic job this weekend,” said LSU head diving coach Scott Reich. “I’m especially proud of Michelle Coryell for her performance in the platform event which qualified her for nationals. It is always quite an accomplishment when a walk-on athlete makes it to the NCAA Championships.”
Coryell, a hometown product from Baton Rouge, walked on the LSU swimming and diving team her freshman season in 1999. She has since earned a scholarship as well as a trip to the 2001 NCAA Championships in Nassau County, N.Y.
In the final day of competition at the Zone B Diving Regionals, Coryell placed third in the 10-meter platform event with 417.10 points. Tennessee’s Lizzy Flint and Kylee Wells finished first and second in the competition.
Flint took the crown by accumulating a score of 465.45, while Wells barely beat out Coryell for second place with a final score of 417.20. The top-five performance automatically qualified Coryell for the NCAA Championships.
Joining Coryell at the Women’s NCAA Championships this weekend will be defending champions, Ashley Culpepper and Jaime Watkins. Culpepper, who is the 2000 NCAA Champion in the 3-meter diving event qualified on Friday by taking first place in the 3-meter springboard competition. Watkins finished fourth in the 3-meter event to earn her an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships where she will try and repeat as the national champion in the 1-meter springboard event.
On the men’s side of the Zone B Regional competition, three-LSU divers qualified for the NCAA Championships being held in College Station, Texas.
Seniors, Corey Fox and Erik Petursson, received automatic berths by placing second and third in the platform event. Fox ended the event with a score of 548.20, while Petursson finished with a total of 517.05.
Kyle VanArsdall, the Tigers’ sophomore from Grapevine, Texas, advanced to the NCAA Championships in the 3-meter competition. VanArsdall qualified for the season-ending championships by accumulating a final score of 489.70 in Saturday’s 3-meter competition.
LSU’s six divers qualifying the NCAA Championships sets a school record and leads the nation. Tennessee and Miami (Fla.) are tied for second place with five divers apiece.
“It’s an honor to set a school record and to have more divers in the championships than any other college, but this year is going to be tough,” Reich said. “The competition is going to be harder this season and everybody will be gunning for us.”
The women’s NCAA Championships begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 15, while the men’s NCAA Championships are scheduled to start a week later on Thursday, March 22.