University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Divers Head to SEC Championships
February 09, 2005 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 9, 2005
The Tennessee men's diving team heads to Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday for the 2005 SEC Diving Championships with competition beginning Friday and running through Sunday.
"We are certainly going into the SEC Championship with a lot less depth than we were originally expecting for various reasons," UT diving coach Dave Parrington said. "I am very pleased with the attitudes of our divers going into the championships."
Sophomore Jevon Tarantino enters Gainesville looking to defend his 1-meter diving title from the 2004 SEC Championships in Athens, Ga. Tarantino won the competition with 356.35 points. He also added two top-10 performances to go along with his title. He finished ninth on the 3-meter with 516.25 and eighth on the platform with 430.00.
"We certainly expect Jevon to be a factor on the 1-meter and 3-meter, especially with him being the defending NCAA and SEC champion on the 1-meter," Parrington said.
"I have to expect to come back and win since I am the defending champ," Tarantino said. "I just look at it as another meet and look to come in and compete."
Joining Tarantino will be junior John Venditti. Venditti is coming off a wrist injury and is just now returning to form. He took second on both boards last Sunday against North Carolina State.
"John Venditti has spent most of the year out with a wrist injury and is right now diving the best he has all year," Parrington added. "He is entering the meet with confidence and we like his chances to compete."
The Vols are taking an overall depleted group with the loss of senior Phillip Jones and freshman Ryan Rincon. Jones left the team before the start of the spring semester. Rincon was lost for the remainder of the season before the Georgia dual-meet when he broke his hand during warm-ups.
TARANTINO NAMED SEC DIVER OF THE WEEK
Tarantino was named SEC Diver of the Week for his wins on the 1- and 3-meter boards Sunday against North Carolina State. Tarantino finished first on the 1-meter with a score of 347.70 and the 3-meter with a 356.47.
This is Tarantino's second SEC Diver of the Week award of his career. His first award came last year as a freshman. Tarantino also was named Co-SEC Freshman Diver of the Year for winning the 1-meter at the NCAA and SEC Championships last season.
Players Mentioned
