Jan. 3, 2015
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Redshirt Sophomore Rebecca Hamperian notched a career-best score to finish second on 3-meter to lead the Kentucky diving team to a strong opening day at the Tennessee Diving Invitational.
Hamperian was one of three UK women to advance to the finals and place in the top nine in the 3-meter competition on the first day of competition against a deep field in Knoxville, Tenn.
“Nice job by the women today,” UK head diving coach Ted Hautau said. “All three made the finals in a very competitive field. Rebecca Hamperian dove with ice in her veins today. She failed on her fourth dive, shook it off and reeled in a number of divers in her final two dives. She fought her way into that final and earned her career-best score on 3-meter.”
Hamperian, a Lexington, Ky., native, recorded a 263.15 in the prelims to become the last of 12 divers to advance to the finals in the 3-meter competition. The sophomore followed with a 332.10 in the finals, a career-best score to finish second overall. Hamperian beat out LSU’s Cassie Weil by just under four points to earn the runner-up finish.
Seniors Lindsay Keahey and Christa Cabot also advanced to the finals and finished in the top nine. Keahey recorded a 292.30 in the finals to finish eighth, while Cabot earned a 279.10 to place ninth. In the prelims, Keahey notched a 263.25, while Cabot posted a 312.20.
Freshman Levi Lindsey led the UK men with a 14th-place finish on 1-meter with a 251.10. Fellow freshman Stephen Jou was 19th with a 230.60, while senior Noah Richter earned a 223.65 to finish 21st overall.
Competition at the Tennessee Diving Invitational continues on Jan. 4 with the prelims and finals of the women’s 1-meter and men’s 3-meter events. The meet concludes with platform on Jan. 6.
Fans can follow along with live results from the Tennessee Diving Invite on DiveMeets.com.
For complete news and updates on the Kentucky Swimming and Diving program, go to UKathletics.com/SwimmingDiving. Breaking news, behind-the-scenes updates, photos and more can be found on Twitter at @UKSwimDive and Facebook at Facebook.com/UKSwimDive.
