March 12, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio – University of Kentucky divers Christa Cabot and Rebecca Hamperian qualified for the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on 3-meter on the first day of the Zone Diving Championships Thursday in Columbus, Ohio.
Cabot placed fourth overall with a total score of 644.40, while Hamperian was sixth with a 637.95. Both advanced to the finals and placed in the top nine to earn a spot at next weekend’s NCAA Championships. Cabot, a senior, earned her second NCAA bid, while Hamperian, a sophomore, earned her first.
“The women started us off well today,” UK head diving coach Ted Hautau said. “Everyone was a little tight going up against a really tough fieldand we needed some confidence before each competition. I was very pleased with Rebecca and Christa’s performances, they displayed and lot of faith and steadiness.”
Also on 3-meter, senior Lindsay Keahey just missed a spot in the top-18 finals with a 276.35 to finish 19th overall.
On 1-meter, the men were led by freshman Levi Lindsey, who placed 23rd with a 285.00. Sophomore Noah Richter was 33rd with a 246.35 and freshman Stephen Jou was 35th and scored a 231.20.
Competition continues Friday with the women’s 1-meter and men’s 3-meter, followed by the men’s and women’s platform event on Saturday.
Competing in Zone C, one of five zones across the country, divers will have several opportunities to advance to the NCAA Championships. For the women in Zone C, the top nine finishers on 3-meter and the top eight divers on 1-meter and platform earn an NCAA bid, while the top eight on 3-meter, the top six on platform and the top five divers on 1-meter from the men qualify for the NCAA Championships.
If a diver earns a bid on one event and places in the top 12 on any other, they are also eligible to compete on the other events at NCAAs as well.
Fans can follow along with all the action from OSU’s McCorkle Aquatics Pavilion with live results at DiveMeets.com. Additional updates can be found at @UKSwimDive, the official Twitter account of the UK swimming and diving program.
Kentucky’s six divers will look to join a field of seven swimmers and two relay squads who have already earned NCAA berths. Seniors Christina Bechtel, Abby Myers and Kristen Wilson and sophomores Kendal Casey and Danielle Galyer will represent UK at the women’s championships, March 19-21 in Greensboro, N.C. Sophomores Brandon Flynn and Kyle Higgins will swim for Kentucky at the men’s championships the following weekend in Iowa City, Iowa. The UK women also qualified the 800 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay.
Congrats to Christa Cabot and Rebecca Hamperian, who punched their tickets to NCAAs today on 3M!!! They finished 4th and 6th, respectively. #WeAreUK #OnTheRise @christacabot @beccaaaa12 @kentuckydiving
A photo posted by UK Swimming & Diving (@ukswimdive) on Mar 12, 2015 at 4:32pm PDT
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.
