Stanford Sweeps Diving Accolades on First Day of Pac-10 Championships

FEDERAL WAY, Washington, February 9. FOR the first time in four years, the Pac-10 would crown a new champion in the men's one-meter event. Needing a score of 60.40 or better, Stanford sophomore Dwight Dumais (Ventura, Calif.) scored a 67.50 on his final dive to pass two Trojans for the lead and the Pac-10 championship.

USC would not be denied however, sending two senior divers to the awards podium. Kenny Jenkins (Rockville, Md.) finished with 350.75 in the men's one-meter final, good for a strong second place showing. Senior Trojan Michael Hilde (Mission Viejo, Calif.), the 2006 Pac-10 platform champion rounded out the award winners with a 339.65 final tally.

Trojan coach, Hongping Li said he was proud of his divers' performances. "They each are great divers and today, they
dove to their potential."

Jenkins moved up four places after finishing prelims in the fifth spot with a 307.30 score. His second place finish in the
finals marked the fifth time that he would take the award podium at the Pac-10 championships.

Jenkins said, "I wanted to do everything just as solid as I could and it all worked out great. I'm glad that Michael did great
as well. You couldn't ask for much more."

After scoring 315.85 in the prelims, Hilde fared better in the finals but it was not enough to move him from third in the
standings.

No stranger to the awards podium himself, Michael Hilde said, "I felt really good today. Nothing makes me more happy than competing with my teammate and best friend Kenny (Jenkins), so being able to share the award stand with him is a great feeling."

Stanford coach, Dr. Rick Schavone was pleased with Dumais' performance. "He was a little tentative in prelims but in the pre-final warm-ups, he was really strong and he ended up doing an excellent job."

Dumais said, "I think it was a great competition having to dive against Kenny Jenkins and Michael Hilde. I just came, tried to relax and dive as best as I could and came out on top. It feels amazing."

The Women of Troy were denied a chance to show in the women's three-meter final with Alexis De Mond (Potomac, Md.) having the best day collecting 228.85 points on the way to finishing 12th in prelims. Freshman Jennifer Goldberg (Millwood, N.Y.) wasn't far behind with 220.90 points, placing 17th in prelims, followed by junior Kimberly Popp (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) in 20th with 216.85 on the scoreboard.

Stanford junior Cassidy Krug (Coraopolis, Pa.) ran away with the women's three-meter championship with an overall score of 367.30, giving Stanford the top spot in both of the first days events. She would be followed by UCLA sophomore Marisa Samaniego (Altadena, Calif.) in second with 324.20 and UCLA senior Sara Clark (Los Gatos, Calif.) in third with 300.35 score.

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