Jan. 6, 2012
New Mexico diving team participates in USA Diving Winter NationalsSenior Ashlee Erickson has standout performance for the Lobos
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of New Mexico’s diving squad traveled to Knoxville, Tenn., Dec. 15-22 to participate in the 2012 USA Winter Diving Nationals. Throughout the course of the meet 10 national titles were awarded. The meet also served as the final opportunity to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and was also used to select rosters for several 2012 international competitions, including the FINA World Cup in February.
Diving Coach Abel Sanchez and his squad went into the meet, which featured divers from schools all across the United States to prove that UNM is just as good as any other university in the country when it comes to competition and diving.
“My goal for this meet was for the girls to realize that they’re just as good as all the other girls in the country,” he said.
Senior Ashlee Erickson- whose diving has been nothing short of spectacular in this, her final season competing in the Cherry and Silver- once again showed why she has been the Lobos’ strongest diver this year. Erickson finished 10th on the 1-meter springboard in a field that contained 80 divers.
Divers had to place in the top 19 in order to move forward into quarter finals, Erickson did just that, but missed the cut to make finals by only three-tenths of a point giving her a 10th place finish with a score of 243.80
Erickson, along with UNM, was the only participant from the Mountain West at Nationals.
“With this meet Gabby (Erickson) prove that our girls can compete with anyone in the country,” Sanchez said. “Going to this competition will give the girls a boost for the rest of the season and show them where they need to be if they want to compete among the best divers in the country.”
The UNM diving team will return to action on Jan. 21, when they travel to Fort Collins, Colo., with the swimming team to take on conference foe Colorado State. The Lobos currently hold a record of 3-3 overall (1-2 in conference). New Mexico is in fifth place in the conference.