Hoover Places Seventh, Lee Takes Eighth As Diving Zones Begin

UB divers competing for spots in upcoming NCAA Championships

Tracy Hoover

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The University at Buffalo sent four athletes to this weekend’s NCAA Zone A Diving Championships which began today at Lejeune Hall at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. A group of 27 men and 37 women comprised the field with four spots each available for the upcoming NCAA Championships.

UB junior Tracy Hoover (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville North) was the Bulls’ top finisher of the day. Hoover recorded a seventh-place finish in the women’s one-meter springboard competition, scoring 469.30 points for her two rounds of diving. The top 18 qualifiers moved into Friday’s second round with their scores added to their first round totals, a total of 11 dives. Penn State took the top three spots in the event with Lisa Silvestri scoring 547.45 points and teammates Allison Riccobono (509.30) and Corecy Pagnotta (508.15) taking the next two spots.

Patrick Lee

For the UB men, sophomore Patrick Lee (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda) scored an eighth-place finish on the three-meter board. Lee tallied 475.45 points for 12 dives in his two rounds of competition. Penn State’s Marc Gastaldo won the men’s competition with 539.70 points to finish 18 points ahead of second-place finisher Anthony Perry of Drexel.

Two other UB women’s divers also competed but did not reach the second round on the one-meter board. Junior Kimberly LaHaye (Pointe Claire, Quebec/Jean XXIII) was 19^th with 205.90 points. Sophomore Ashlee Burton (Franklin, IN/Franklin Community) was 31st at 186.25 points.

Competition concludes Saturday as the men take to the one-meter board and the women compete in the three-meter event at 11 am. Men's and women's platform diving will also be contested starting at 4 pm

03/12/2004