Indiana University Athletics
Loukas Advances to Three-Meter Final at NCAAs
3/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
March 17, 2006
ATHENS, Ga. - Sophomore Christina Loukas strung together a six-dive list of crowd-pleasing performances in her quest for an NCAA title at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga., on March 17. Overall, the two-time Big Ten Diver of the Year and of the Championships tallied an incredible 343.20 for the second-highest total of the afternoon's preliminary round. The Hoosier will look to track down Olympic bronze medalist Blythe Hartley of Southern California, who recorded 372.70 points in her initial set of dives.
"I am glad to see her up there," Indiana head diving coach Dr. Jeff Huber said. "She just needs to dive better tonight. We haven't trained much in the one-meter, and have spent most of our year training on the three-meter since it is an Olympic event. Christina has a tougher list and just has to dive better to win tonight."
Meanwhile, junior Lindsay Weigle snared her fourth All-America nod with a 15th-place 298.25, while senior Heather Chapman placed 39th with a 214.45 tally.
"Today was a little bit sweet and a little bit sour for me," Huber said. "Lindsey worked hard this year, and finishing 15th is a bit tough. Without a doubt, she is one of the top-eight All-Americans in the country. She missed one dive and that hurt her."
Next up, the Hoosiers return for finals at 7 p.m., with freshman Allison Kay competing in the 400-yard IM consolation heat, while junior Leila Vaziri swims in the B-final in the 100-yard backstroke. Additionally, Indiana will enter an 800-yard freestyle relay team in timed final activity.
