HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 17, 2008) - University of Houston freshman Lacey Truelove scored 569.95 points to win the platform championship Sunday during the final day of the NCAA Zone D diving meet at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.
Truelove, who qualified for the 2008 NCAA Championship with her performances earlier in the meet, topped all divers in the preliminaries with 267.70 points and finished more than 60 points ahead of her closest competitor.
Teammate and fellow freshman Courtney Forcucci finished fourth with 515.65 points, while senior captain Ginni van Katwijk scored 445.40 points to place fifth.
With their solid performances throughout the NCAA Zone D meet, van Katwijk, Forcucci and Truelove qualified and will compete in all three events at the 2008 NCAA Championship on March 20-22 in at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio.
SMU's Audra Egenolf finished third on the platform with 523.90 points and joined Arkansas' Madison Palmer's as the final of eight qualifiers for the 2008 NCAA Championships. Egenolf and Palmer joined the Cougar trio and Texas' Mary Yarrison and Kathryn Kelly and Missouri's Kendra Melnychuk as the eight qualifiers to the NCAA Championship from Zone D.
On the men's side, Texas' Mike Wong won the platform competition with 621.85 points, while Missouri's Dante Jones finished second with 611.85 points.
With his performance, Jones became the fifth and final men's qualifier to the 2008 NCAA Championship. He will join teammate Gregory DeStephen and Texas' Mike Wong, Jonathan Wilcox and Matthew Cooper at the Championship on March 27-29 at Federal Way, Wash.
van Katwijk will make her second career appearance at the NCAA Championship. A year ago, the Grootebroek, Netherlands, native won the consolation finals and earned All-America honors on the platform.
Truelove and Forcucci will make their first appearances at the NCAA Championship.
Forcucci earned her place at the NCAA Championship after finishing second on the 1-meter springboard during the three-day meet's first day. Van Katwijk and Truelove qualified the next day after finishing 1-2, respectively, on the 3-meter board.
While Truelove and Forcucci will compete in their first NCAA Championship, the event is nothing new for diving head coach Jane Figueiredo. During her illustrious 18-year career at UH, Figueiredo now has led 26 divers to the NCAA Championship, including 10 divers who earned 35 All-America honors.
This marks the eighth consecutive year that at least one UH diver has competed at the NCAA Championship and it will be the fifth straight season that the Cougars have sent multiple divers to the nation's top collegiate meet.
It also was the second time that the Cougars hosted the NCAA Zone D meet at the CRWC Natatorium. UH first played host to the postseason event in 2004.
2008 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS
Women's
1. Lacey Truelove, Houston
2. Ginni van Katwijk, Houston
3. Mary Yarrison, Texas
4. Courtney Forcucci, Houston
5. Kathryn Kelly, Texas
6. Kendra Melnychuk, Missouri
7. Madison Palmer, Arkansas
8. Audra Egenolf, SMU
2008 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS
Men's
1. Mike Wong, Texas
2. Gregory DeStephen, Missouri
3. Jonathan Wilcox, Texas
4. Matthew Cooper, Texas
5. Dante Jones, Missouri
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