FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 10, 2019) – Northern Arizona will have four different divers participating in the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships hosted in the Aquatic Center in Flagstaff, Ariz. The event will take place from March 11-13, with the 3-meter event taking place on March 11, the 1-meter event on March 12 and the platform event on March 13. This will be the Lumberjacks fourth straight year being the host site for the competitive Zone E Championships.
"The girls have been working hard all season, and I know if we dive to our abilities we have the talent to move onto the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship," NAU associate head coach
Nikki Huffman said.
The Zone Diving event will be made up of a multitude of schools, with 61 participants in the 3-meter, 62 in the 3-meter and 48 in the platform. The goal of every participant at Zones is to make it through the prelims and into the finals, and from there to move onto the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
The Lumberjack divers are coming off of an impressive season and Western Athletic Conference Championship that saw the team win its sixth straight championship. NAU's divers played an essential part in the team's success in the WAC Championship as the Lumberjack divers won two out of the three events. Senior
Tatiana Kurach took home first in both the 1-meter and the 3-meter, while fellow senior
Christina Torrente had two top-three finishes in those events as well. Sophomore
Jenny Cheetham also placed second in the 1-meter.
1-Meter
In the 1-meter event, the Lumberjacks will have four different divers participating on March 12 to try to seal a bid to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship. The event will be made up of 61 divers, with the top 18 moving onto finals and the top eight in finals moving onto the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship. To qualify for the 1-meter event, a diver must score 265 points in a meet during the year. NAU's four divers that will be competing are Cheetham, Kurach,
Emily Sharrer and Torrente. This will mark the fourth straight year that Torrente has participated in the event, with her top finish coming in her junior season when she placed 24th overall. The second most experienced 'Jack at Zones is Kurach who will be participating in her third straight year. Kurach's top finish at Zones in the 1-meter was in her sophomore campaign when she placed seventh and moved onto the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship. Cheetham will be competing for the second time in the 1-meter event at Zones. In her freshman year, Cheetham finished the event in 20th place. Sharrer will be making her Lumberjack debut at Zones. The 1-meter event's prelim will begin at 11:30 a.m. MST, while the finals will start at 3:10 p.m. MST.
3-Meter
In the 3-meter event, the Lumberjacks will have four different divers participating in the event on March 11. The 3-meter event is made up of 62 participants, with the top 18 moving onto the finals. In the finals, the top eight will earn a spot in the NCAA Swimming and Divining Championship. For a diver to qualify for the 3-meter Zone Diving event, the diver must score at least 280 points in an event during the 2018-2019 season. The four 'Jacks participating in the event are Kurach, Cheetham, Sharrer, and Torrente. The senior pair of Kurach and Torrente will bring the most experience in the event as Kurach finished 16th in 2018 at Zones, and Torrente finished 22nd in 2018 at zones. The 3-meter event's prelim will begin at 11:30 a.m. MST, while the finals will start at 3:10 p.m. MST.
Platform
In the platform event, the Lumberjacks will have Torrente participating on March 13. The 48 qualifiers for the event had to score at least a score of 225 on the season. Torrente will be the lone 'Jack that will compete in all three events in Zones this week. The event will kick off with two groups of prelims at 11 a.m. MST and finals will start at 1:30 p.m. MST.
Admission is free throughout the duration of the three-day championships. Real time results will be available at
divemeets.com.
Monday, March 11
Women's 3-meter Prelims: 11:30 a.m.
Women's 3-meter Finals: 3:10 p.m.
Tuesday, March 12
Women's 1-meter Prelims: 11:30 a.m.
Women's 1-meter Finals: 3:10 p.m.
Wednesday, March 13
Women's Platform Prelims: 11:00 a.m.
Women's Platform Finals: 1:30 p.m.
