March 10, 2006
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Senior Evan Watters and freshman Kendra Melnychuk both qualified got their feet wet on day one of the 2006 NCAA Zone D Diving Championships, though the pair both fell just short of earning NCAA National bids.
Watters battled to a fourth-place finish on the 3-meter board with a score of 675.80 (scores roll over from prelims to finals). Eric Sehn of Texas A&M won the event with a score of 747.85.
Melnychuk placed eighth on the 1-meter board, earning a score of 507.95. She was the fifth-highest finisher from the Big 12, and out-dove five divers from her own conference. Tania Cagnotto of Houston won the competition with a score of 580.45.
"We battled hard today and that's all you can ask from your kids," Mizzou diving coach James Sweeney said. "We came up a little short, but this is a tough meet. We know that we can't let the first day get us down. We'll come out fighting tomorrow and hopefully we can get some people to nationals."
The 2006 NCAA Zone D Diving Championships will continue tomorrow at the Mizzou Aquatics Center at 10 a.m. with the men on the 1-meter board, followed by the women on the 3-meter. Admission to the event is free.