Starks Named BIG EAST Most Outstanding Diver

Feb. 21, 2004

Complete Results

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Freshman Derek Starks (Mission Viejo, Calif.) was tabbed the BIG EAST’s Most Outstanding Diver after taking his second conference title Sunday at the final day of the BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Championships in Syracuse, N.Y.

Starks turned in a score of 553.15, nearly 200 points ahead of Pittsburgh’s Devin Aikins, to take first place in the men’s platform finals Sunday. The freshman won the three-meter springboard in Friday’s finals.

Starks’ title of Most Outstanding Diver prolongs UM’s men’s diving team’s dominance in the BIG EAST as the Hurricanes have taken the honor every year since 1992.

The Hurricane women’s swimming and diving team wrapped up the final day of competition in eighth place overall.

Freshman Tara Erwin (Ewing, N.J.) led off for the Hurricanes, finishing second in the 1650-yard freestyle with a personal-best time of 16:40.23, followed by junior Katalin Ferenczi (Pa’ Pa, Hungary) who finished sixth in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:02.85.

Junior Martyna Krawczyk (Looz, Poland) finished second in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:16.61 and freshman Nancy Gajos (Mississuga, Ontario) placed sixth in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:03.30.

Freshman diver Heather Bounds (Austin, Texas) took the BIG EAST title in the women’s platform finals with a score of 394.80.