Cougars Fall to the Utes and the Cardinal

PROVO -- In their final meet before entering into the Mountain West Conference Championship, BYU men and women diving teams lost in competition against rival University of Utah and top-ranked Stanford.

Head diving coach, Keith Russell, said he was excited, despite the loss, for the chance to compete against the two teams.

"It was a great opportunity for us to compete against Utah and Stanford," Russell said. "We knew that we were up against good competition today."

The Stanford women, recognized as one of the top diving teams of the PAC-10, placed first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter. BYU freshman, Angela Nelson, placed second in the 3-meter scoring 240.55 with junior, Aubrey Low, following close behind scoring 237.8.

"Angela is fairly consistent and might be our number 1 hope of the MWC," Russell said, "but every point counts and it is a team effort."

Ute diver, Sterling Richards, easily took first place in both the 1-meter and 2-meter dives. BYU's only senior, Scott Randall, placed second in the 1-meter, scoring 281.85, and in the 3-meter scoring 448.7 points.

"Our divers were too focused on the pressure of the meet, being up against Stanford," Russell explained.

Russell said that the Cougars overall performance was okay, but he stressed that everyone must perform. He is concerned about his divers relying too heavily on the team leaders and maybe discounting their own performance.

"I really want them to understand that it is a team effort," Russell said, "they need to look at it as being bigger than the individual."

Russell has almost two weeks to drive those ideas in before heading out to Oklahoma City for the MWC Championships, Feb. 23-26.