AuburnTigers.com
    Auburn Diving Prepares For NCAA Zone B Diving In Knoxville Competition runs March 13-15 at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.



    March 11, 2009

     

    AUBURN - The Auburn diver team kicks off the NCAA Championship season this weekend, heading north to Knoxville for the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships.

    The Tigers join divers from 25 teams from around the United States at the three-day meet as the student-athletes compete for bids to the 2009 NCAA Championships. The women's NCAA finals are scheduled for March 19-21 while the men's are slated for March 26-28, both in College Station, Texas.

    The meet at the University of Tennessee's Allan Jones Aquatic Center is one of five Zone Diving meets around the country this week. Also hosting NCAA Zone diving meets are the University at Buffalo, the University of Minnesota, the University of Missouri and the Air Force Academy.

    Twenty-five teams from around the country will descend upon Knoxville for the weekend. Competing in the Zone B Championships are Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Duke, East Carolina, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, North Carolina - Wilmington, North Florida, Old Dominion, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Western Kentucky.

    The top 10 women will advance to next week's Championships, while the top 11 men will earn entrance to the men's week in College Station.

    "We are going in with a lot of confidence," said Auburn head diving coach Jeff Shaffer. "The fact that we have dived at that facility in January gives us knowledge of the environment, which should to our performance. Each of the individuals that we are taking has a chance to do great things."

    Auburn has six divers competing in this weekend's meet, led by SEC Champions Kelly Marx and Dan Mazzaferro. Senior Scott Morgan  and freshman Adam Godzinski will also contend for a spot on the Auburn NCAA roster, diving all three events.


     

     

    "It is all about consistency," said Marx. "If you can go in and be consistent, your golden. That is what we have been training for all year. it's about being able to hit dive after dive after dive - letting the other people make the mistakes."

    ON the women's side, freshmen Anna Aguero and Vennie Dantin will represent the Tigers on all three boards.

    "I am real excited about it," said Dantin. "Like Coach says, 'It's about minimizing mistakes. The only person you can control in this competition is yourself.'

    "As simple as it sounds, we just have to do what we know how to do. There is no point in making things more complicated."

     Competition starts Friday at noon with the women's 3-meter competition while the men will compete off the 1-meter board. On Saturday, starting at noon, the women head to the 1-meter while the men go off the 3-meter and on Sunday, action starts at 10 a.m. with both the women and men climbing the platform.

     

     

    Auburn Tiger Features

    2012 Fan Guide iOS App: FREE Shop
    Louisville Slugger Shop