Wolverine Divers Wrap Up Competition at Zone C Championships

Sunday, March 14

West Lafayette, Ind.

11:00 AM

Michigan

NCAA Zone C Diving (Day 3)

Wolverine Divers Wrap Up Competition at Zone C Championships

3/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving

March 14, 2010

• Notes & Quotes

Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Boilermaker Aquatic Center)
Event: NCAA Zone C Diving Championships
U-M Team Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Thu-Sat., March 18-20 -- at NCAA Championships (West Lafayette, Ind.), 11 a.m.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- University of Michigan women's divers wrapped up the final day at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships on Sunday (March 14), held at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center. Junior Rachael Ropeik (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) finished ninth (463.65) on platform, the final event of the weekend. Ropeik also finished 11th on three-meter on Saturday (March 13).

Sophomore Amanda Lohman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships on Friday (March 12) via her second-place finish on the one-meter springboard. According to the NCAA Regional manual, whichever diver finishes second on one-meter is fifth in the qualifying queue for NCAAs. Since nine from Zone C are going and Lohman finished second, she automatically qualifies for next week's NCAA Championships for the one-meter board.

The other U-M divers in action this weekend were seniors Stephanie O'Callaghan (Howell, Mich./Howell) and Caitlin Dunphy-Daly (Royal Oak, Mich./Rochester). Both were in action on one-meter Friday (March 12), as O'Callaghan finished 31st and Dunphy-Daly took 34th. Dunphy-Daly also competed on three-meter, taking 41st.

The 2009-10 season concludes next weekend, as eight members of the University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team head to the NCAA Championships, beginning on Thursday (March 18), held at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind. The three-day competition will begin at 11 a.m.

Lohman will be the only diver to go, but seven swimmers will join her, including seniors Margaret Kelly (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), Emily Brunemann (Crescent Springs, Ky./Notre Dame Academy), Leigh Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), junior Natasha Moodie (Miramar, Fla./Miramar), and sophomores Liz Johnson (Milford, Mich./Milford), Liz Koselka (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and Alexa Mehesan (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley).

Event Winners/U-M Finishers

One-meter diving (Friday, March 12) 1. Erin Mertz, Purdue          588.50 2. Amanda Lohman, U-M          565.0031. Stephanie O'Callaghan, U-M  221.4034. Caitlin Dunphy-Daly, U-M    213.20
Three-meter diving (Saturday, March 13) 1. Bianca Alvarez, Ohio State  732.5011. Rachael Ropeik, U-M         555.6032. Amanda Lohman, U-M          235.5041. Caitlin Dunphy-Daly, U-M    204.65
Platform diving (Sunday, March 14) 1. Chen Ni, IUPUI              700.40 9. Rachael Ropeik, U-M         463.65

NCAA Qualifiers (Women)
1. Chen Ni, IUPUI
2. Bianca Alvarez, Ohio State
3. Erin Mertz, Purdue
4. Casey Matthews, Purdue
5. Amanda Lohman, Michigan
6. Amy Korthauer, Indiana
7. Chelsea Davis, Ohio State
8. Gabriella Agostino, Indiana
9. Lisa Faulkner, Kentucky

N O T E S

• Lohman will be making her first appearance at the NCAA Championships next weekend. This weekend's diving regionals served as the final event of the year for Ropeik and the final career event for the seniors O'Callaghan and Dunphy-Daly.

• Lohman is the first U-M diver to qualify for the NCAA Championships since Elyse Lee in 2008.

• Michigan has one NCAA champion on the one-meter board (Mary Fischbach, 1988). Fischbach was a three-time All-America selection (1984, 1986, 1987) and is one of four Michigan divers to earn the honor on one-meter. The others were Vicki Kimball (1982), Diane Dudeck (1982, 1983) and Lisa Cribari (1992).

• Seven divers have earned All-America honorable mention: Leigh Anne Grabovez (1983, 1985, 1986), Colleen Smith (1987, 1988), Bonnie Pankopf (1988), Clara Tramell (1988, 1989), Carrie Zarse (1993, 1996) and Elyse Lee (2008).

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Diving Coach Chris Bergére
On Amanda Lohman's goals for next week's NCAA Championships ... "We would just like her to score in the top 16 and contribute to the team score anyway she can. In order to do that, she has to perform just like this weekend. She's got to be consistent and have good dives; score somewhere between the 6.5-8 range and she'll be good to go. Her first couple of dives need to be strong, because they'll cut after that, so those are key for her."

On the seniors' impact ... "They have been extremely important to us. Seniors provide leadership and experience, two things which are invaluable. They have routines they have filled up through the years and have set the pace for the younger divers. They have been great role models, which helps the other divers tremendously. It helps to have the them around to cheer for you, sit on the deck with you and keep you loose until you are ready to go up there and dive. Both Caitlin and Stephanie have done that for our team."

Contact: Brad Rudner (734) 763-4423