Four Hurricane Divers Head to National Championship Meet
March 26, 2002
Coral Gables, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) – The University of Miami will sendfour divers to compete at the 2002 Men’s NCAA Swimming & Diving Championshipsscheduled for March 28-30 at the Gabrielsen Natatorium on the campus of the Universityof Georgia in Athens.
Divers competed at the Zone B Diving Championships in Lexington, Kentucky on March15-16 for the opportunity to advance to the National Championship Meet in Athens.
Senior Imre Lengyel (Budapest, Hungary) took second in the 1-meter and 3-meterevents in Lexington to qualify. He was named 2002 BIG EAST Most Outstanding Men’sDiver after capturing BIG EAST titles in both the 1- and 3-meter events in February.In 2000, Lengyel competed for the Hungarian Olympic team and was first honoredas the BIG EAST Most Outstanding Men’s Diver.
Senior Stefan Ahrens (Lichtenhagen-Dorf, Germany) finished fourth in the 1-meterevent to qualify. He also took fourth in the 3-meter at the BIG EAST Championships.Ahrens competed in his first Olympic games in 2000 in the 3-meter springboard,finishing ninth as a member of the German Olympic Team.
Junior Kyle Prandi (Strongsville, Ohio) won the 3-meter event and the platformcompetition in Lexington and took third in the 1-meter to qualify. Prandi wasthe 2001 BIG EAST Men’s Diver of the Year. He is the defending NCAA National Championin the 10-meter platform and an All-American in the 3-meter springboard.
U.S. Diving recently announced that Prandi had prequalified for the 2002 WorldCup Trials to be held at Cleveland State University in Ohio on April 20-21. Membersof the 2000 Olympic Team and the top eight finishers from the 2001 U.S. NationalIndoor & Outdoor Diving Championships will vie for the opportunity to representthe United States in international competition.
Freshman Miguel Velazquez (Mexico City, Mexico) finished 3rd in the platform,10th in the 3-meter and 13th in the 1-meter to qualify. Velazquez recently finishedsecond at the BIG EAST Championships in the 1-meter and third in the 3-meter.
Visit the UM athletics website at HurricaneSports.com for the latest informationon Miami Swimming & Diving.
