Paige McCleary Named SEC Freshman Diver of the Year
2/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Feb. 28, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Alabama's Paige McCleary was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman Diver of the Year the conference office has announced.
"Paige did a tremendous job at the SEC Championships and has really come around through the last half of the regular season," UA head coach Eric McIlquham said. "She went into the toughest conference meet in the nation and did a tremendous job. Coach Pat Greenwell continues to do a great job with our divers and I'm really proud of Paige for earning this accolade, one she is certainly deserving of."
McCleary reached the championship final of both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards at the SEC Championships, and was the highest-scoring freshman in both events. She was sixth on the 3-meter board with a score of 310.10 and eighth on the 1-meter board where she scored 290.90 points. McCleary was also the Tide's top finisher on the platform, scoring 208.75 points, good for 14th place.
The Lake Worth, Fla., native is the fifth member of the Alabama swimming and diving program to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors with swimmer Anne Poleska earning the first honor in 2001 and Stewart Smith earning the first honor on the diving side of things in 2002.
McCleary and her Tide teammates return to action March 11 at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships in Athens, Ga.
Players Mentioned
