University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
SEC Diving Championships
Wright Wins Title as Vols Dominate Boards
February 11, 2011 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 11, 2011
Drew Rutherford
UTsports.com
Senior Tennessee diver Michael Wright won the SEC men's 1-meter diving championship on Friday, at Florida's O'Connell Center Natatorium.
The Forest Park, Ill., native broke his own school record with a 416.85-point score. His previous record of 414.00 points was set on Oct. 22, 2010.
Junior Ryan Helms placed just behind Wright, earning a silver medal with 413.15 points. Helms, from Moultrie, Ga., also earned his best SEC championship finish. The tandem topped the third-place finisher by nearly 30 points.
"That was a great way to get our team off to the right start at the SEC championships," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "I'm very pleased with the way the Mike and Ryan got up and competed. They really took hold of the competition and overpowered the field."
Wright and Helms dueled on the boards, with Helms leading in each of the first four rounds. But Wright took the lead on his fifth dive and never looked back.
"Prelims were a little shaky--I didn't hit everything but made it into the finals," Wright said. "From past experience I knew that prelims are just what get you to finals. I was able to start finals fresh and relaxed. I saved my most difficult dives for the end and I know Ryan had a strong performance. I just took it one dive at a time and was able to win."
Knoxville, Tenn., native Brent Sterling had a strong performance, as well, competing in his first-ever SEC championship final. The sophomore scored a career-best 343.65 points, finishing seventh.
Sophomore Jordan Mauney finished 12th with 301.30 points. While the Signal Mountain, Tenn., native did not compete in the finals, he will score for the Big Orange.
"Brent competed very well, too," Parrington said. "He did a great job and I think making the final was a fantastic achievement for him. Of course, Jordan with his 12th-place finish adds to a very strong start to the meet."
With day one in the books, UT divers will now rest and prepare for the men's 3-meter competition on Saturday. Tennessee leads the field with 54 points. Auburn is second with 38 points trailed by Alabama in third with 15 points.
The men's 3-meter preliminaries begin Saturday at 1:15 p.m. Live streaming video can be found at SEC Championship headquarters here.
NOTES
• Michael Wright becomes Tennessee's 153rd individual SEC champion and the 16th Vol to win the SEC 1-meter title--the first since Jevon Tarantino in 2004.
• Wright is the fifth Vol to win the SEC 1-meter crown during the Dave Parrington era at Tennessee. The Vols' five 1-meter titles since 1994 ties Georgia for the most in the SEC during that time.
• Dave Parrington has now coached 17 SEC men's diving champions, the most of any active league diving coach.
SEC Championship Scoring Report 1-meter diving: 1. Michael Wright (UT) 416.85 SR; 2. Ryan Helms (UT) 413.15, 3. Daniel Mazzaferro (AU) 384.55; 4. Adam Booher (UA) 380.45; 5. Greg Ferucci (UK) 378.50; 6. Owen Blank (UGA) 353.80; 7. Brent Sterling (UT) 343.65; 8. John Santeiu (AU) 309.80; 9. Thad Ellis (AU) 322.75; 10. Brian Gemberling (LSU) 317.00 11. Matt Vieke (LSU) 315.30; 12. Jordan Mauney (UT) 301.30; 13. Anthony Lewark (UF) 292.90; 14. John Speed (UF) 286.10; 15. Adam Godzinski (AU) 283.55; 16. Sean McKinney (LSU) 282.25
SR= Tennessee school record
TEAM SCORES: 1. Tennessee 54, 2. Auburn 38, 3. Alabama 15, T-4. Kentucky 14, T-4. LSU 14, 6. Georgia 13,
7. Florida 7, 8. South Carolina 0
Players Mentioned
