GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida senior Monica Dodson (Franklin, Ind.) and junior Anthony Lewark (Davie, Fla.) advanced to the finals of their respective events on the second day of the 2011 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
“We stepped up on the men’s side today,” head diving coach Donnie Craine said. “On the women’s side, all three girls did a great job and scored points for our team. We’re going to have a good day on the platform tomorrow.”
One day after breaking the SEC record with a gold-medal winning score of 373.85 on the women’s three-meter boards, Dodson finished sixth in the finals of the women’s one-meter competition. The sixth-place finished tied her best career finish at an SEC meet (2008), while her NCAA Zone Championship qualifying score of 307.20 was just five points away from her career best in the event (313.87 at Florida State on Nov. 23, 2010). The sixth-place finish was two spots better than her eighth-place finish in the prelims, where the senior dove to a score of 282.60.
In the women’s prelims, both junior Kaylee Doback (Brandon, Fla.) and freshman Danielle Risley (Jacksonville, Fla.) also scored points for the Orange and Blue. Risley finished the day with a 14th-place score of 258.75, while Doback concluded her afternoon with a 16th-place score of 252.75.
In his best finish in the men’s three-meter competition as a Gator at the SEC Diving Championships, Lewark took sixth place with a Zone provisional mark of 376.35. Earlier in the day in preliminary competition, the junior advanced to the finals with a Zone qualifying score of 340.50.
In the men’s prelims, senior Jonathan Speed (Jupiter, Fla.) and freshman Michael Lewark (Davie, Fla.) also scored points for the men wearing Orange and Blue. Speed dove to a Zone qualifying score of 323.05 to finish 13th, while Lewark qualified for Zone with a score of 310.85. Redshirt freshman Christopher Jones (Palm City, Fla.) also competed, finishing 23rd overall (276.80).
