Jan. 2, 2009

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee men's and women's diving teams welcome 16 teams to the 2009 Tennessee Diving Invitational from Saturday to Monday at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.

The invitational kicks off on Saturday at noon with prelims for the men's 1-meter and women's 3-meter competition. The finals will occur directly after the prelims. On Sunday the invitational will also begin at noon with the women's 1-meter and men's 3-meter, while the platform competition will be Monday at 11:30 a.m.

"I am very pleased with the response we have received for the Tennessee Diving Invitational this weekend," UT head diving coach Dave Parrington said. "Seventeen schools including six from the SEC will be taking part, with over 100 participants entered for the three-day competition so far.

"This will be the largest intercollegiate diving invitational of the season nationwide, and will provide an excellent barometer for our young squad to test themselves against numerous competitors they have not yet seen. The format will be almost identical to what we will use at the NCAA zone qualifying meet we are hosting in March."

The Lady Vol divers had a great showing at their last meet, the Allan Jones Diving Invitational, in November. Freshman Jodie McGroarty finished second on the 3-meter, while senior Staley McCartney and freshman Gabriele Trudeau each had third-place finishes on the platform and 3-meter, respectively. Additionally, sophomore Jill Pierce placed fourth on the platform.

"The team had an excellent training camp following final exams up until Dec. 20, and returned Dec. 27 in preparation for this meet and the spring semester which includes the championship season," Parrington said. "We are working hard and will be somewhat taxed for the meet but nothing can replace competitive training as we prepare for the championship meets. I am looking forward to see how our divers respond to this type of challenge against a quality field in a championship format."