March 10, 2014
GREENSBORO, N.C. – South Carolina sent three divers to the finals on the first day of the Zone B Diving Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Junior Cole Miller had the Gamecocks top finish of the day as he placed 10th on the men’s 3-meter springboard with 691.95 points.
“Today went well, but not great,” diving coach Todd Sherritt said. “We had three in the finals so that was good, but they did not place high enough to make it to NCAA’s.”
The native of Regina, Saskatchewan earned a spot in the finals after sitting 12th at the conclusion of the preliminary round with 333.65 points. He went on to score 358.3 points over the course of his final six dives.
Miller wasn’t the only one from the men’s team to make the finals as Jordan Gotro continued where he left off at the conference championships. The freshman qualified for the final round with a score of 308.30, but increased that to 329.25 in the finals to move up to 15th overall with 637.55 points.
“Cole really struggled in his first list,” Sherritt added. “He worked his way back up to tenth, but we needed to make top four to qualify. His 1-meter has greatly improved this year. He will need to bring his top game tomorrow. Jordan did a great job, being the second-highest finishing freshman in the finals. I am looking to see some great things from him in the future.”
Junior Patricia Kranz reached the finals on the women’s side after scoring 272.10 in the prelims. She remained in 14th through finals, finishing with 561.30 points.
“Patti stayed consistent through the whole meet,” Sherritt said. “She was back on board on her front two-and-a-half and that cost her some spots. She ended up 14th out of 49 girls so that is her highest finish. Tomorrow is her best even so we will see if we can get her up in the top five.”
Senior Andrew Helmich finished 31st in the prelims with a score of 250.70. Sophomore Lauren Lamendola placed 33rd on the women’s side with 237.65 points.
The meet continues tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET with the men’s one-meter springboard preliminary round. Live results will be available here.
