Weekly Release #10
3/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Fri-Sat., March 14-15 -- at NCAA Diving C Diving Meet (Oxford, Ohio), 11 a.m.
Thu-Sat., March 27-29 -- at NCAA Championships (Austin, Texas), 11 a.m./7 p.m.
This Week: NCAA Diving Zones ...
The 2003 Big Ten Conference champion University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team will have one representative competing this weekend at the NCAA Zone C Diving Meet on Friday and Saturday (March 14-15) at Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center in Oxford, Ohio. Junior Jason Coben (Marple Newtown, Pa./Marple Newtown HS) will compete on the one- and three-meter springboards as well as the platform in hopes of earning his third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships. The Wolverine swimmers will not return to the water for competition until the NCAA Championships, which will be held Thursday through Saturday, March 27-29, at Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center in Austin, Texas.
Schedule of Events
| Friday, March 14 | 11 a.m. | Three-meter Springboard |
| Saturday, March 15 | 11 a.m. | One-meter Springboard |
| | 4 p.m. | Platform |
Qualifying for the NCAAs ...
Based on results from the 2002 NCAA Championships, Zone C will send four divers to the national meet this year. To fill one of those four spots a diver can either win the one-meter springboard, finish first or second on the three-meter springboard or win the platform event. Once a diver qualifies for the NCAA Championships, he will then dive subsequent events as an exhibition diver. If that diver's score is high enough to qualify for the NCAA meet in a second event, the next diver listed in that same event would qualify.
Coben at the Diving Zones ...
Jason Coben has twice qualified for the NCAA Diving Zones and twice, he has made it through to the NCAA Championships with top 10 finishes in the one- and three-meters as well as the platform at both the 2001 and 2002 zone C diving meets. At the 2001 diving meet, Coben qualified for the NCAA Championships by placing second on the one-meter board with a mark of 300.90. On the second day of the meet, Coben had fifth- and fourth-place finishes in the three-meter (486.45) and platform (369.50), respectively. In 2002, Coben qualified for the NCAA meet with a second-place on the one-meter springboard on the second day of the meet with a score of 325.35. He also finished third on the platform and ninth on the three-meter board at the 2002 meet.
Coben at the 2003 Big Tens ...
Jason Coben was named -Big Ten co Diver of the Championships as he won the platform (549.85) and finished runner-up on the one-meter springboard (325.30) to help the Wolverines win the team title at the conference meet two weeks ago (Feb. 27-March 1) in their home pool at Canham Natatorium. Coben's victory on the platform was his second straight at the conference meet. He also finished third on the three-meter board with a score of 556.30.
Championship Caliber ...
Following a victory on the platform and runner-up performance on the three-meter springboard at the Big Ten Championships (Feb. 27-March 1), Jason Coben became the first Wolverine to earn the honor of Diver of the Championships. On the first day of the meet, Coben dove to a second-place finish of 325.30 on the one-meter, then placed third on the three-meter with an NCAA zone diving qualifying score of 556.30 the second night at Canham Natatorium. Coben landed his final dive to capture the platform crown with a total score of 549.85, solidifying his selection as co-Diver of the Championships with Indiana's Marc Carlton.
Diver of the Week Times Two ...
Junior Jason Coben claimed two Big Ten Diver of the Week awards during the 2002-03 season. Coben collected conference Diver of the Week honors for his efforts on the boards during the weekends of Jan. 17-18 and Jan. 31-Feb. 1 as he compiled six victories and runner-up performances on the one- and three-meter springboards, as well as a first-place finish on the platform against Northwestern (Jan. 31). In the four meets over those two weekends, Coben scored seven NCAA zone diving qualifying marks. On the season, Coben posted 12 event victories with his best performance on the one-meter coming against Northwestern (343.58) on Jan. 31 and his best three-meter score occurring against Texas (348.75) on Nov. 22. The only three times he competed on the platform, he finished with the highest point total, winning at Texas (Nov. 23), vs. Northwestern and at the Big Ten Championships (March 1), where he scored a season-best 549.58.
About Head Diving Coach Chris Bergre ...
Michigan head diving coach Chris Bergre is in his first season at the helm of the Michigan diving program. He was named just the third diving coach in Michigan history on April 25, 2002, when he took over the reigns from Dick Kimball, after Kimball's 43rd-year with the program. Prior to joining the Maize and Blue, Bergre led the diving program at his alma mater, LaSalle University. During his 17-year tenure with the Explorers, Bergre was an eight-time conference Coach of the Year. Recently, Bergre coached his first Big Ten champion, as Michigan men's diver Jason Coben earned the conference gold medal in the platform diving competition at the 2003 Big Ten Championships (March 1).
Last Meet Recap (Wolverines Win the Big Ten Team Title) ...
The Wolverines won their 32nd Big Ten team title two weeks ago when the Maize and Blue totaled 727 points, to edge two-time defending conference champion Minnesota (689). Michigan head coach Jon Urbanchek was named Big Ten co-Coach of the Year with Minnesota's Dennis Dale, following his 12th conference title in 21 years of service with as the head man for the U-M. Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) was also honored by the conference as he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year following an individual title in the 500-yard free and a runner-up showing in the mile, both swum with NCAA automatic qualifying times.
Junior Jason Coben earned Big Ten co-Diver of the Championships for his efforts on the one-meter springboard and 10-meter platform. After a second-place finish on the one-meter on the first day of the meet, he landed the final dive of the platform competition securing his second straight league title on the platform. His victory in the Dick Kimball Diving Pool also solidified the Wolverines first Big Ten team championship since it last hosted the meet in 2000.
Michigan in the Polls ...
Michigan held its ground as the No. 4 team in the nation according to the latest bi-weekly CSCAA Swimming Poll (Feb. 27).
RK TEAM Pts. LAST 1. Stanford 198 (7) 1 2. Auburn 193 (2) 2 3. California 183 3 4. MICHIGAN 174 4 5. Texas 170 5 6. Minnesota 152 6 7. Florida 151 8 8. Southern Cal 150 7 9. Virginia 136 9 10. Georgia 129 10 11. Wisconsin 118 10 12. Tennessee 115 12 13. Alabama 108 13 14. Texas A&M 93 15 15. Arizona State 90 14 16. Arizona 65 19 17. Pittsburgh 64 16 18. Penn State 60 17 19. Brigham Young 59 18 20. Hawaii 54 21 21. Harvard 42 20 22. Indiana 33 22 23. Princeton 22 23 24. Purdue 15 24 25. Florida State 11 --
On the Horizon ...
The Wolverines have an extra week of rest before they head to the NCAA Championships Thursday through Saturday, March 27-29, in the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center on Texas's campus in Austin, Texas.
Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
