Three Vols Qualify on Day 1 of NCAA Zone Diving

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee's Zhipeng (Colin) Zeng, Liam Stone and Rachel Rubadue qualified for the national stage with their performances Monday to start the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships at Allan Jones Aquatic Center.

Zeng and Stone earned their positions in the 3-meter competition in the NCAA men's championships. Zeng won Monday's regional competition with a 12-dive combined score of 828.05. Stone took third with 779.75 to also advance.

Six qualifying spots were available for the men's 3-meter, and Vols Nick Rusek and Will Hallam fell just short of qualifying. Rusek was ninth (701.40) and Hallam took 11th (695.30). Joshua Davidson of Florida State earned the last qualifying spot with a sixth-place finish of 707.40.

Rubadue booked her ticket into the NCAA field in the 1-meter competition, putting together a 12-dive combined score of 570.85 to finish fourth overall. She advances to next week's NCAA championships, which will be held in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Lady Vols competing in preliminaries included Ana Celaya Hernandez in 24th place (242.70) and Emily Pelletier in 31st (213.70). The top 18 divers advanced to the final.

In the men's 3-meter preliminaries, Keegan Richardson took 29th (280.30).

QUOTES
Tennessee Diving Coach Dave Parrington
"As a team, for both the men and women today, I'm really pleased. There's some disappointment for those who didn't make it there for the NCAA field, but they have a shot the next day and the day after. They have to get up and get ready to go. As a team we did a fantastic job. As far as this meet goes, this is part of our preparation for NCAAs. They're still lifting in the weight room, so they will be more rested when they compete again at NCAAs. What can I say about Nick Rusek? He has dealt with injuries a lot this year and was right in the thick of it until the last dive. I could not be more proud of him. Will Hallam, as a freshman, was right in the mix as well.

"On the women's side, Rachel was steady as a rock all day long. Going in, I thought 1-meter could be her toughest sport to qualify and she got it done."

NCAA ZONE B DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tennessee Results
Women's 1-Meter
4. Rachel Rubadue, 579.85
24. Ana Celaya Hernandez, 242.70
31. Emily Pelletier, 213.70

Men's 3-Meter
1. Zhipeng (Colin) Zeng, 828.05
3. Liam Stone, 779.75
9. Nick Rusek, 701.20
12. Will Hallam, 695.30
29. Keegan Richardson, 280.30

NCAA Qualifiers
Women's 1-Meter (7 Qualifiers)
1. Julia Vincent, South Carolina
2. Wallace Layland, Miami
3. Ayla Bonniwell, Florida State
4. Rachel Rubadue, Tennessee
5. Alison Maillard, Auburn
6. Olivia Ball, Georgia
7. Carolyn Chaney, Miami

Men's 3-Meter (6 Qualifiers)
1. Zhipeng Zeng, Tennessee
2. Gregory Duncan, North Carolina
3. Liam Stone, Tennessee
4. James Brady, NC State
5. Pete Turnham, Auburn
6. Joshua Davidson, Florida State

Tuesday's Schedule
(All times Eastern)
11 a.m. - Men's 1-meter prelims
1:15 p.m. - Men's 1-meter finals
3:30 p.m. - Women's 3-meter prelims
5:55 p.m. - Women's 3-meter finals

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Ana Celaya Hernandez

Will Hallam

Emily Pelletier

Keegan Richardson

Rachel Rubadue

Nick Rusek

Liam Stone

Zhipeng (Colin) Zeng

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