Sunday, March 16, 2008

Houston Cougars' Divers Qualify for NCAA Championships

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 16, 2008)- University of Houston senior captain Ginni van Katwijk and freshman Lacey Truelove became the second and third Cougars to qualify for the 2008 NCAA Championship with their performances Saturday afternoon during the NCAA Zone D Diving Meet at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium.

van Katwijk won the 3-meter event with 641.05 points with Truelove a close second with 637.10 points. Both Cougars joined freshman Courtney Forcucci as qualifiers for the 2008 NCAA Championship.

van Katwijk held third place with 322.35 points following the preliminaries behind teammate Truelove who recorded 325.25 points.

Forcucci, who qualified for the NCAA Championship with her second-place performance in Friday's 1-meter event, finished fifth on the 3-meter board with 572.55 points.

This marks the second time van Katwijk will compete in the NCAA Championship. In 2007, van Katwijk finished second in the platform diving consolation finals with 294.75 points.

Forcucci and Truelove will compete at the NCAA Championship for the first time.

They will be the 24th, 25th and 26th divers to compete at the NCAA Championship under head coach Jane Figueiredo.

Missouri's Kendra Melnychuk also qualified for the NCAA Championship after finishing fourth with 621.80 points in the 3-meter event.

Texas' Jonathan Wilcox won the men's 1-meter event with 686.40 points, while teammates Matthew Cooper and Mike Wong placed second and third.

The meet will wrap up Sunday when both men and women compete in the platform event. The men's event will start at 10 a.m., and the women's event is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.

The women's qualifiers for the 2008 NCAA Championship are Ginni van Katwijk (Houston), Courtney Forcucci (Houston), Lacey Truelove (Houston), Mary Yarrison (Texas), Kathryn Kelly (Texas), and Kendra Melnychuk (Missouri).

The men's qualifiers are Gregory Destephen (Missouri), Jonathan Wilcox (Texas), Matthew Cooper (Texas), and Mike Wong (Texas).

Three more women's qualifiers, and one more men's qualifier will be decided after Sunday's platform event.

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