March 14, 2002
STANFORD, Calif. - Thomas McCrummen placed sixth in the men's 3-meter springboard event to lead the Arizona State contingent in the first day of the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships from Maas Family Diving Center in Stanford, Calif., Thursday.
McCrummen finished the event with a championship score of 505.95, just shy of the freshman's personal best of 508.25 that placed him fourth at the Pac-10 Championships. Arizona's Omar Ojeda won the event with a score of 582.80, followed by Brigham Young's Justin Wilcock (553.10) and UA's Joshua Anderson (521.30). The top-three finishers in each event automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Also in the men's 3-meter for ASU was sophomore Gordon Blukis, who placed 10th with a score of 474.80.
Meanwhile the women competed in the 1-meter springboard, with senior Natalie Burgess placing 15th (234.60) and sophomore Jessica Stenson taking 25th (213.45) for the Sun Devils. USC's Blythe Hartely blew away the field with 322.20 points to place first, followed by a pair of Stanford divers in Erica Sorgi (270.25) and Ashlee Rosenthal (264.55).
The Zone E Championships continue Friday with the men's 1-meter and women's 3-meter. Competition concludes Saturday with the men's and women's platform events.