March 15, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Although it hasn't been made official, freshman David Colturi is heading to the NCAA Championships after placing third on 1-meter Saturday at the NCAA Region C Diving Zones in Columbus, Ohio with a 12-dive total of 672.95 points. His placing netted him the seventh and final allocation given to Zone C on the men's side.
Colturi, a native of Sylvania, Ohio, scored 334.95 points in prelims and 338 points in finals, which allowed him to pass teammate Zach Schultz for third place on his final dive.
Schultz finished fourth for a second-straight day with 671.90 points. He was fourth on 3-meter with 655.70 points.
Indiana's Taylor Roberts and Landon Marzullo were first and second on 1-meter, which earned them the third and fifth allocations for the NCAA Championships.
The second, fourth and sixth allocations were picked up by 3-meter winner Ryan Jefferson, runner-up Weston Wieser and bronze medalist Michael Bulfin on Friday.
Schultz or one of the six divers who've placed ahead of him on the springboards have to win tomorrow's platform title in order for the Chicago, Ill., native to return to NCAA's for a second-straight season.
Purdue sophomore Ashley Karnes continued her springboard dominance by winning the 3-meter championship with 692.75 points.
Karnes won the 1-meter title Friday afternoon with 594.20 points.
Karnes has lost just two springboard competitions since the calendar rolled over to 2008, and both those defeats came at the Big Ten Championships where she was runner-up on 1-meter and third on 3-meter with personal record scores of 317.45 points (1-meter) and 335.00 points.
Karnes began the new year with consecutive wins at the Georgia Diving Invitational and her winning streak continued into the dual season, completing springboard sweeps against Michigan State, Miami University, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. She also beat Indiana on 3-meter.
Karnes entered Big Ten's having won nine-straight springboard competitions.
Karnes not only posted the highest score at the end of Friday's and Saturday's finals, but the Bloomington, Ind., also led after prelims both days as well.
Saturday, Karnes recorded 328.20 points through her first six dives and added 364.55 points after the 41-woman field was cut to 18 finalists. Karnes' 12-dive total of 692.75 points was 76.85 points better than runner-up score posted by Ohio State's Chelsea Davis.
Karnes is the only Boilermaker female diver to have her ticket punched for next week's NCAA Championships, also at Ohio State. Her teammates Kara Cook, Emily Wetzel, Emily Griesemer and Katie Berg are down to their last chance Sunday as they compete on platform.
The platform competitions for men and women begin Sunday at 11 a.m.