Air Force Academy
NCAA Zone E Diving Regionals (Diving)
Day One Concludes at 2009 NCAA Zone E Diving Regionals
3/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
March 12, 2009
AUSTIN, Texas - With a 17th-place finish, junior Kyle Van Valkenburg (Tucson, Ariz.) was Air Force's top performer on day one of the 2009 NCAA Zone E Diving Regionals, being held at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center, on the campus of the University of Texas.
Van Valkenburg posted a score of 254.80 in the preliminaries of the men's 1-meter dive to move into the finals, before finishing with a score of 214.70. Meanwhile, classmate David Arlington (Eagle River, Alaska) also competed on the 1-meter springboard, placing 23rd overall with a preliminary score of 214.70.
Dwight Dumais of Stanford took first place in the men's 1-meter event, while Hawaii's Emma Friesen won on the women's 3-meter springboard. Dumais, a two-time All-American at 1-meter, posted a score of 715.40 to win his first zone championship, while Arizona's Ben Grado (658.20) and USC's Harrison Jones (633.95) finished second and third, respectively, on the men's 1-meter springboard.
Meanwhile, Friesen, the third-place finisher at 3-meters in 2008, claimed her first zone title with a score of 594.20. Defending zone champion Marisa Samaniego of UCLA was the runner-up in the women's 3-meter with a score of 591.65, while USC's Victoria Ishimatsu placed third with a mark of 583.05.
Action at the Zone E meet continues Friday with the men's 3-meter springboard and the women's 1-meter event.
