University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
NCAA Zone B Diving Championships
Helms Takes Third in 1 Meter at Zones
March 06, 2012 | Men's Swimming & Diving
March 6, 2012
Senior Ryan Helms finished third on the 1-meter springboard Tuesday at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships in Auburn, Ala.
Helms and freshman Mauricio Robles both qualified for this month's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships after finishing in the top three in Monday's 3-meter competition, but Tennessee's top two divers picked up where they left off on the lower springboard.
Helms finished the preliminary and final rounds with a combined score of 688.00, good for third place. Robles posted a score of 673.80 to finish fifth.
"The guys did a very solid job today," Tennessee diving coach Dave Parrington said. "After guys qualify for NCAAs on the first day, sometimes it's hard to come back on the second day and perform, but they did well."
Helms' third-place finish improved the NCAA chances for junior diver Brent Sterling.
Sterling finished 11th on the 1-meter springboard with a combined score of 627.05, but he took fifth in Monday's 3-meter competition. Entering Tuesday, he was listed 11th on the list of NCAA qualifiers.
The top eight divers make the NCAA field, but because Helms has taken a top-three finish in both springboard events, one of the eight qualifying positions has become available.
