Sophomore Dante JonesSophomore Dante Jones
Swimming & Diving

Divers Finish Day One at Zones

March 13, 2009

March 13, 2009

Men's 1M Results • Women's 3M Results

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The first day of the 2009 NCAA Zone “D” Diving Championships concluded Friday evening at the Mizzou Aquatic Center. The event brings nearly 30 women divers and 17 men divers together in their only opportunity to qualify for the 2009 NCAA Championships, held in College Station, Texas.

Divers from Arkansas, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Missouri State, Nebraska, Saint Louis University, Southern Methodist University, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Christian University join together to form the “D” Zone.

Competing for Missouri on the men's side is junior Greg DeStephen and sophomore Dante Jones, while senior Kendra Melnychuk and freshman Jordan Morcom are diving on the women's side.

The men kicked things off in the morning with the 1-meter diving. Jones, a 2008 NCAA qualifier, finished in fifth-place with a score of 697.65, just 3.05 points off of the fourth-place finisher. Jones scored a 352.00 during the preliminary round, good for the third-best score at that time, and then followed that up with a 345.65 in the finals. Jones' preliminary score of 352.00 marks a new career-high and moves him into third all-time in the 1-meter event.

DeStephen, who has been battling illness for much of the week, finished in ninth with 608.00 points. The 2008 All-American continued to get stronger as the competition went on, and followed up his 294.30 preliminary score with a 313.70 total in the finals.

The women took the 3-meter board in the afternoon, where Melnychuk finished in 6th and Morcom placed 8th. Melnychuk, a two-time All-American, posted a score of 596.10 in her 12 dives, while Morcom registered a total of 584.80.

Missouri's divers will be back on the boards tomorrow morning as they continue their attempt to earn a bid to the NCAA Championships. The women will kick things off tomorrow with the 1-meter, while the men will take the 3-meter in the afternoon. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information.

ZONE DIVING SCHEDULE (approximate)

Saturday

  • 10:00 AM – 12:15 PM: Women's 1-Meter Diving

  • 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Men's 3-Meter Diving

Sunday

  • 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Women's Platform

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Men's Platform