Feb. 11, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Senior Lisa Faulkner and freshman Greg Ferrucci earned career-best scores Friday on day one of the Southeastern Conference Diving Championships at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Faulkner received a score of 347.60 on the women’s three-meter board finals to finish in fourth place. Faulkner’s score of 347.60 demolished her previous career best score of 320.56 earned earlier this year, and is the second best score on the three-meter board in Kentucky history.
“Lisa was terrific today,” UK diving coach Ted Hautau said. “She settled in and had her career best three-meter competition in a real tough group. She is figuring out how to compete when the pressure is on.”
Ferrucci earned a career-best score as well on the men’s one-meter board Friday with a score of 378.50 to earn a fifth-place finish for the Cats. Ferrucci’s previous best score was a 368.85 earned in January. The 378.50 is just 1.4 points away from the second best mark in program history.
“Greg had an excellent day,” Hautau said. “He dived a great preliminary against some tough competition. He stepped it up in the final and went from 8th to 5th place. He showed a lot of composure in his first SEC Championship.”
Faulkner earned a score of 314.70 in the women’s three-meter prelims to enter the finals in sixth place. Ferrucci entered the men’s one-meter finals in eighth place after a score of 333.50.
Freshmen Zack Peterson and Corey Cowger finished in 25th and 27th place, respectively, in the men’s one-meter prelims Friday.
Day two of the SEC Diving Championships begins with the women’s one-meter prelims at 11 a.m. ET, and the men’s three-meter prelims at 1:15 p.m. The women’s one-meter finals begin at 5 p.m. and the men’s three-meter finals begin at 6 p.m.
The SEC Diving Championships conclude Sunday with the men’s and women’s platform.
The SEC Diving Championships will be broadcast on a live stream on the Internet at http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=19787
For results of the SEC Diving Championships throughout the weekend and all Kentucky swimming and diving news, go to UKathletics.com.
