March 8, 2011
Lobo Diving coach Abel Sanchez and his team will travel to the Minnesota Aquatics Center in Minneapolis, Minn., this Wednesday to participate in NCAA Zones.
This year UNM will be participating in Zone E, one of five different meets that serve as a qualifying competition for the NCAA Championships.
Aubrey Bush, Ashlee Erickson, Melissa Bollig and Megan Harper all qualified for zones early on during the 2010-2011 season. All four are feeling confident about their chances to advance to nationals, after one of the most successful showings Lobo diving has ever produced during the Mountain West Conference championships.
Erickson, Bush, Bollig, and Harper placed fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth, respectively, in the 3-meter springboard final during the first day of competition, marking the first time UNM achieved such a feat.
It was only the third time in MWC Championship history that a school has placed four divers in finals. BYU did it during the first ever MWC championships in 2000 and did so again during the 2010 championships.
New Mexico also had multiple divers place in the 1-meter springboard final with Bush, Erickson, and Bollig finishing fifth, seventh, and eighth.
Bush gave the Lobos their highest finish, taking second in the platform dive with a final score of 232.65. Bollig also placed sixth in the event, making her one of only two freshmen to make finals.
The effort that the team of talented divers gave during championships did not go unnoticed as the conference office named all four to the All-MWC team. It was a historic meet for the UNM diving team as this too marked the first time that New Mexico had four divers named to the All-Conference team.
For Sanchez, the way his team performed was indicative of all the hard work they’ve put in thorough the season.
“All the girls have progressed tremendously from the beginning of the year,” he said. “I am fortunate to have such a talented and hard working group of girls. They always give me 120 percent of what they have.”
For the Lobos to advance to national finals hosted at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas, competition will be tough but Sanchez believes his team can get there.
“All of our girls have a great chance in making it to Austin, Texas,” he said. However will need to concentrate at what is in front of us and take one step at a time.”
Look to Golobos.com for full recap at the conclusion of each day’s competition.