Starks Takes BIG EAST Title in the Three-Meter Springboard

Feb. 19, 2004

Complete Results

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Freshman Derek Starks (Mission Viejo, Calif.) turned in a score of 550.85 to win the BIG EAST title for the University of Miami in the men’s three-meter springboard Thursday evening at day one of the BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Championships at the Nassau County Aquatics Center in East Meadow, N.Y.

Starks’ win in the three-meter secures the Hurricanes’ streak of having at least one BIG EAST diving champion every year since 1992 under the guidance of head coach Randy Ableman.

The Miami women’s swimming and dive team wrapped up day in eighth place with 59 total points behind a strong showing in the one-meter springboard by senior All-American Emily Spychala (Tampa, Fla.) and freshman Heather Bounds (Austin, Texas).

Spychala finished second behind Notre Dame’s Meghan Perry-Eaton, the defending BIG EAST Diver of the Year, in the finals with a score of 256.15 while Bounds recorded a mark of 249.80, good for fourth.

The Hurricanes’ 400-yard freestyle relay team of freshman Lindsey Fox (Lake Forest, Ill.), freshman Andrea Hughes (Richmond, Va.), junior Ashley Knapp (Walnut Creek, Calif.) and senior Gema Crespo (Miami, Fla.) finished ninth with a time of 1:38.08.

Junior Katalin Ferenczi (Pa’ Pa, Hungary) touched in with a time of season-best time of 2:05.13 to finish 12th in the consolation finals of the 200 IM and freshman Tara Erwin (Ewing, N.J.) hit a personal-best time of 4:59.43 to finish 13th in the consolation finals of the 500-yard freestyle.

The Hurricanes will continue with day two of the BIG EAST Championship Friday morning, with preliminaries beginning at 10:30 a.m.