University of Minnesota Athletics
Kelci Bryant Wins 1-Meter NCAA Title
3/18/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Minnesota junior Kelci Bryant captured the 1-meter diving national title at the 2011 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships in Austin, Texas, on Thursday. Bryant led from the first dive of the final to the event’s completion, gathering 349.65 points to win the crown. The Golden Gophers are in eighth place after the first day of the NCAA meet with 67 points.
A native of Chatham, Ill., Bryant adds the 2011 1-meter title to the NCAA title she won on the 3-meter springboard a year ago. Bryant is the first two-time national champion in Gopher history.
Bryant, the NCAA runner-up in the event last year, led from her first dive of the final. She averaged a score of 8.5 on her opening dive and never received a judge’s score less than 7.0 on her title run. Bryant took control of the competition in the fourth of the six dives of the final round, scoring 60.00 points to extend her lead. She nailed her best dive in the fifth round, scoring a career-best of 61.10 points on a reverse 1 1/2 somersault, 1 1/2 twist dive.
“I was thinking through my dive,” said Bryant of her final dive to win the title. “I was kind of zoning out. I wasn’t stressing too much. I was having fun. I think I kind had it in my head that I had (the competition) in the bag already. I tried not to focus on what bad could happen.”
Freshman Maggie Keefer added an 11th-place finish on the 1-meter board to capture All-America Honorable Mention accord. Keefer, a Stillwater, Minn. native, scored 299.00 in the consolation final improving on her prelim standing by two places. She will compete on 3-meter on Friday and platform on Saturday.
Junior Ashley Steenvoorden set the pace for the Gophers with a school record time of 4 minutes, 36.48 in the 500 freestyle prelim; a time that is also have fastest in Big Ten history. Steenvoorden went on to record her first All-America honor in the event finishing in fourth in a time of 4:37.11. She will compete in the 1,650 free on Saturday looking to capture her third All-America honor in that event.
The 400 medley relay concluded the first day by capturing All-America honors with a sixth-place finish. The foursome of Hannah Whitehead, Jillian Tyler, Kaylee Jamison and Alison Eggers clocked a season-best time of 3:32.67. The same relay members will hit the pool for the 200 medley relay competition on Friday.
Breaststroke specialist Tyler swam to her fourth All-America honor in the 400 medley relay, becoming just the sixth Gopher to swim on an All-America relay for four straight years. Tyler will compete in the 100 breast on Friday where she is the number-one seed.
“We couldn’t be happier with our performance,” said Golden Gopher co-head coach Terry Nieszner. “Obviously it was amazing watching Kelci win the 1-meter diving, but overall we already have seven All-Americans after the first day of this national meet. It was a great day.”
Georgia holds the lead after day one with 129 points. Southern California is a close second with 122 points.
A native of Chatham, Ill., Bryant adds the 2011 1-meter title to the NCAA title she won on the 3-meter springboard a year ago. Bryant is the first two-time national champion in Gopher history.
Bryant, the NCAA runner-up in the event last year, led from her first dive of the final. She averaged a score of 8.5 on her opening dive and never received a judge’s score less than 7.0 on her title run. Bryant took control of the competition in the fourth of the six dives of the final round, scoring 60.00 points to extend her lead. She nailed her best dive in the fifth round, scoring a career-best of 61.10 points on a reverse 1 1/2 somersault, 1 1/2 twist dive.
“I was thinking through my dive,” said Bryant of her final dive to win the title. “I was kind of zoning out. I wasn’t stressing too much. I was having fun. I think I kind had it in my head that I had (the competition) in the bag already. I tried not to focus on what bad could happen.”
Freshman Maggie Keefer added an 11th-place finish on the 1-meter board to capture All-America Honorable Mention accord. Keefer, a Stillwater, Minn. native, scored 299.00 in the consolation final improving on her prelim standing by two places. She will compete on 3-meter on Friday and platform on Saturday.
Junior Ashley Steenvoorden set the pace for the Gophers with a school record time of 4 minutes, 36.48 in the 500 freestyle prelim; a time that is also have fastest in Big Ten history. Steenvoorden went on to record her first All-America honor in the event finishing in fourth in a time of 4:37.11. She will compete in the 1,650 free on Saturday looking to capture her third All-America honor in that event.
The 400 medley relay concluded the first day by capturing All-America honors with a sixth-place finish. The foursome of Hannah Whitehead, Jillian Tyler, Kaylee Jamison and Alison Eggers clocked a season-best time of 3:32.67. The same relay members will hit the pool for the 200 medley relay competition on Friday.
Breaststroke specialist Tyler swam to her fourth All-America honor in the 400 medley relay, becoming just the sixth Gopher to swim on an All-America relay for four straight years. Tyler will compete in the 100 breast on Friday where she is the number-one seed.
“We couldn’t be happier with our performance,” said Golden Gopher co-head coach Terry Nieszner. “Obviously it was amazing watching Kelci win the 1-meter diving, but overall we already have seven All-Americans after the first day of this national meet. It was a great day.”
Georgia holds the lead after day one with 129 points. Southern California is a close second with 122 points.
Players Mentioned
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming & DivingSpr Free/Fly
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Dist Free
/ Women's Swimming & DivingBreast/IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free
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