Rookie divers break new ground at La Verne invite

LA VERNE, Calif. - A relatively inexperienced group of Chapman University divers made their presence known at the La Verne Swimming and Diving Invitational on Saturday. Junior Sarah Snyder earned a pair of second place finishes in the women's 1- and 3-meter diving events and senior Kim Iona captured third in the 3-meter to give the Panthers their first diving points in school history.

Chapman added diving to the swimming and diving team this season thanks to the grand opening of its Allred Olympic Pool over the summer. As a result, five women and four men (club team) are now competing in diving at intercollegiate competitions. According to diving coach Robbie McLellan, only two of the nine divers had any diving experience prior to joining the team.

Snyder, who earned a score of 153.75 after a total of five 1-meter dives, placed second in the event and followed that up with another second place finish with a 160.05 total score in the 3-meter diving.

On the men's side, Chapman's Marshall Johnson claimed first place in both the 1- and 3-meter diving with scores of 175.60 (1-meter) and 156.15 (3-meter). Junior Chad Tomlinson captured third place in the 1-meter event while sophomore Spencer Halvorsen placed third in the 3-meter.

The Panthers also did some swimming at the meet with the 400-yard relay team of Julia Fish, Lisa Horn, Edna Best and Jackie Vigeant placing fourth in the event with a time of 4:19.98. Fish then finished fourth in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:24.53.