University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
NCAA Zone Diving Championships
Rubadue Wins Platform to End NCAA Zones
March 09, 2016 | Swimming & Diving
ATLANTA, Ga. -- Tennessee freshman Rachel Rubadue won the platform competition Wednesday to conclude the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships.
Rubadue qualified for her third event with a winning performance in her best event: the tower. She posted a 12-dive combined score of 584.10, edging out Miami's Wallace Layland by less than a point for the victory.
She will compete in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard competitions in addition to the platform at the NCAA championships next week. She placed in the top eight in all three events at the SEC championships and won the platform title.
"As I've said all week, Rachel was a model on consistency again today," Tennessee diving coach Dave Parrington said. "She was behind about four points behind going into her last dive, and she just went up and nailed it. As a coach, it was great to see her perform so well under pressure in that kind of situation. A moment like that will serve as great preparation for NCAAs."
Fellow freshman Emily Pelletier reached her first final, placing 15th with 465.75 points.
"It was good to have Emily reach the final to finish her freshman year," Parrington said. "After we add a few bigger dives to her list, I think she could be a force to be reckoned with on platform."
Senior Mauricio Robles also booked his spot in his third NCAA event by placing third in the men's platform competition (712.90). He has competed in all three diving events at NCAAs all four years of his career.
Freshman Nick Rusek made his second final of the meet, placing 18th with a score of 549.10.
"Mauricio was a little off his game today on platform, but he got the job done to qualify for NCAAs, which was good," Parrington said. "He climbed from sixth to third after the prelims. It was also good to see Nick make a second final appearance this week. I'm excited to see him continue to improve over the next three years."
