Viola, Kinzbach Win Platform Events at ACC Championships
Feb. 24, 2008
<?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>ATLANTA, Ga. – Sophomore Brittany Viola made it a clean sweep with her third-straight first place finish and freshman J.J. Kinzbach picked up his first career title as each diver won the platform finals on the their respective sides Saturday on the final day of the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia Tech Aquatic Center. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Viola, who was named ACC Most Valuable Diver Friday after winning both springboard events, scored a 332.50 in Saturday’s platform to beat out second-place Stephanie England of Georgia Tech by an overwhelming 57.55 points. In the first year of platform diving at the ACC Championships, Viola didn’t waste any time in becoming the first diver to sweep all three events in one season, after winning the one-meter event on Thursday and the three-meter event Friday.
Kinzbach, after placing second to Florida State’s Terry Horner in the one-meter event on Friday, clinched his first career title at the ACC Championships with a win on the platform as FSU’s Dan Frebel and Virginia Tech’s Mikey McDonald finished second and third respectively.
Kelly Peloquin and Ryann Labreche led the swimmers Saturday with each recording Top 25 finishes. Peloquin placed 18th overall and second in the “C” final in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:23.43 and Labreche came in 21st in the 1650-yard freestyle event with a mark of 17.11.99.
Seven Hurricanes participated in the 100 free prelims with the team’s top times coming from Britta Boesing (51.43), Annika Saarnak (51.47) and Kirsten Pomerleau (51.89).
In Saturday’s lone relay event, UM’s team of Boesing, Saarnak, Pomerleau and Emerson Davis placed 20th in the 400 free with a time of 3:30.44
As a team, the Hurricanes finished the championships with 182 points and a 10th place finish.
For complete results from this week’s action in Atlanta, visit the 2008 Men’s & Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship website.
