Velazquez Places Third In Platform

March 16, 2003

AUBURN, Ala. (www.hurricanesports.com) – – Hurricane diver Miguel Velazquez (Mexico City, Mexico/Gulliver Prep) placed third in the men’s side of the platform diving competition Sunday at the NCAA Diving Zone B Regional qualifiers at Auburn University in Alabama.

Velazquez scored a 535.20 in the event.

Velazquez, along with teammates Katie Beth Bryant (Chatham, Ill.) and Emily Spychala (Odessa, Fla.), had already qualified for the NCAA Championships.

Melanie Rinaldi was the only other Hurricane to compete on day three for the qualifiers and she scored a 398.25 for a sixth-place finish.

The Zone B, or Southeast Region, is widely considered the deepest and most difficult field in the country, but coach Randy Ableman said that the region was perhaps even more challenging this year.

“This may be the toughest competition we’ve ever faced in a zone meet and we met the challenge, especially on the second day,” Ableman said. He also spoke highly of each athlete’s performance during the weekend’s competition.

The Hurricanes will return to Auburn this week for the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.