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2014 Swimming & Diving Preview: Divers
10/8/2014 12:21:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
DURHAM, N.C. – With the loss of four-time NCAA champion Nick McCrory to graduation, second-year head diving coach Nunzio Esposto will look to continue the development of the program's younger divers during the 2014-15 campaign.
2014 Postseason Results:
McCrory capped an outstanding collegiate career by becoming the first athlete to win four NCAA titles in men's platform diving in 2014. He also earned a third-place finish in the 1-meter springboard diving competition at the NCAA meet in Austin, Texas to conclude his career at Duke an 11-time All-American. The 2012 Olympic medalist swept the three diving disciplines at the ACC Championship as well to bring his career total to 10 ACC diving crowns, making him the most decorated diver in the history of the conference.
McCrory was joined at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championship by Cole Plambeck, who scored for Duke at the ACC Championship with a 17th-place finish in the men's platform competition and a 23rd-place showing on the 3-meter board.
Jaimee Gundry reached the ACC championship final of the women's platform competition for the second consecutive year last spring, while classmate Kendall McClenney just missed the final in ninth place. Gundry went on to compete at Zones along with Kirby Quinn, who scored in the 1-meter and platform preliminaries at the conference meet.
Key Returners:
Esposto expects juniors Gundry and McClenney to provide leadership for the divers this season. Coming off of strong platform performances at last year's conference meet, both are also primed for continued success on the springboards. Over the summer, Gundry represented her native country of South Africa at the FINA Diving World Cup in Shanghai, China. There she earned her highest career international finish, placing 24th in the preliminaries of the individual platform event.
With one year of collegiate diving experience, Plambeck and Quinn will also look to improve as sophomores this year. Esposto says Plambeck has been working in the weight room to increase his strength during the beginning part of the season, while Quinn will aim to carry solid dual meet performances into the postseason. The summer saw Quinn advance to the 3-meter synchronized springboard final at the AT&T National Diving Championships.
The Blue Devil divers have also benefitted from relocating their dryland facility to just behind the Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion during the offseason. The site serves as the group's base for a large portion of its training during the fall months.
Newcomer to Watch:
Freshman MaryEllen Targonski joined the Blue Devils from Gastonia, N.C., where she was a two-time North Carolina 3A state champion at South Point High School. Targonski has previously qualified for the USA Diving Summer Nationals and East Nationals, and has done well so far in transitioning to the college level, Esposto says.
Esposto's Take:
“It's going to be really hard to replace Nick because he was such a vital part of the program at Duke and he did so well. But I think what's happened with him being here with the divers we have now is he provided a lot of direction. They're looking forward to competing and doing well and following in his direction.”
Players Mentioned
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