University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Divers Head to NCAA Qualifier
March 09, 2004 | Men's Swimming & Diving
March 9, 2004
The Tennessee men's diving team heads to the NCAA Zone B Diving Qualifier Friday through Sunday at the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Ga.
The Vols will try to qualify their trio of divers in SEC champions Phillip Jones and Jevon Tarantino and John Venditti for the NCAA Championships.
"Phillip and Jevon are considered favorites to qualify for two of the spots," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "Venditti is considered a dark horse but has the potential to qualify with a solid performance. This is probably the only meet in the collegiate season where winning is nice but not a priority. Qualifying is the priority."
Jones is coming off winning his second SEC crown on the three-meter board in three years as he tries to qualify for nationals. He is the defending NCAA champion on the three-meter board.
Tarantino will be trying to qualify for nationals so he can attempt to add an NCAA title to go along with his SEC title.
From the nation's five zones, 35 total divers will qualify to form the NCAA championships field. As a testament to the strength of Zone B, the zone has 13 qualifying spots for the NCAAs.
"This is the most nerve-racking meet of the year," Parrington said. "A lot of pressure is involved. This is the one meet to qualify for NCAAs."
As a team, the Vols' next competition is the NCAA championships March 25-27 in Long Island, N.Y.
Players Mentioned
