Alabama
NCAA Zone B Diving Championships
Alabama Diving Duo Earns NCAA Championship Berths
3/9/2021 4:18:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
Tanesha Lucoe and Kevin Li both punched their tickets for the upcoming national swimming and diving championships on the final day of the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships
GREENSBORO, N.C. – A pair of Alabama divers earned their way to the upcoming NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on the final day of the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships being held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C.
Tanesha Lucoe was in 13th place off the platform after prelims with 225.70 points. She then came back tough in finals, jumping six places to seventh with 498.65 total points after tallying 272.95 over her last five dives.
Kevin Li qualified for the NCAA Championships off the 1-meter springboard, after scoring 325.30 points in prelims and 346 points in finals to take eighth place with a combined 671.30 points overall.
Diving Coach Jesse Lyman
"We are so proud of Kevin and Tanesha to come up strong on the final day of the Zone meet and earning their way to the NCAA Championships. This has definitely been a different season and they have done a great job of staying focused and never giving up. Tanesha overcame a leg injury she sustained on the first event on the first day to earn her place at nationals. We scratched her out of Monday's event and we put together a list that would protect her leg on platform. After today's prelims she came to me and told me she wanted to go back to her standard list, which would be tougher on her, but would give her a better chance to advance. She did just that and she was absolutely spectacular in finals, earning her spot. She dove so tough and overcame a lot to earn her place at nationals."
The 2021 Zone B Championships
- While swimmers qualify for the upcoming NCAA Championships by virtue of times posted during the season, divers qualify exclusively through the five Zone meets
- Each Zone has a set number of slots per event
- Zone B has eight slots off the platform for women and 10 slots off the 1-meter board for the men
- There were 66 divers from 15 different schools at the Zone B Championships, including SEC rivals Auburn, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee
- In addition to hosting both the Zone B and Zone A meets, Greensboro is also the site of the men's and women's 2021 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
More Alabama Highlights
- Tanesha Lucoe becomes the 12th member of the Alabama women's squad to earn a place at the NCAA Championships, joining the 11 swimmers who were announced last Wednesday
- Kevin Li is the first member of the men's team to be invited to the NCAA Championships, with the swimmers set to be announced by the NCAA on Wednesday
- Lucoe (platform) and Li (1-meter and 3-meter springboard) qualified for last year's NCAA Championships before they were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Hunter Jaynes took 26th off the 1-meter springboard after tallying 221.35 points during prelims on the last day of the Zone B Championships
Up Next
- The Crimson Tide women are sending 12 swimmers and divers to the NCAA Championships, which will be held March 17-20
- While diver Kevin Li has already punched his ticket for the men's NCAA Championships which will be held March 24-27, swimming qualifiers for the men's NCAA Championships will be announced Wednesday, March 10
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Players Mentioned
