BYU Divers Head to NCAA Qualifying Meet

PROVO -- The BYU dive team will head to Oklahoma City on Thursday to compete in the Zone E NCAA Regionals. The meet is individual based with 11 men's programs and 18 women's programs competing for spots at the NCAA Championships.

"We have a good shot at sending three divers to nationals," BYU head dive coach Keith Russell, the 2006-07 Mountain West Dive Coach of the Year. "If Brandon (Watson) does what he's been doing he should get in. Tawni (Jones) and Angela (Nelson) are really close and just need to dive better than their competition to get in."

Freshman Brandon Watson is coming off his best performances of the year winning the 1- (344.80) and 3-meter (393.65) MWC titles and placing second in the platform (332.35). Watson earned MWC Diver of the Year honors and helped lead BYU to a second-place finish at the MWC Championships.

Junior Angela Nelson has made a name for herself in the MWC this season as she placed second in the 1-meter (285.30), 3-meter (304.90) and platform dives (227.95) at the 2007 MWCC. Nelson is an eight-time All-MWC selection and was a major contributor on BYU's 2007 MWC Championship team.

Freshman Tawni Jones placed fourth in the 1-meter dive (281.95), second in the 3-meter (304.15) and fourth in the platform (209.35). Jones was an All-MWC selection in all three events and helped the Cougars win the MWCC.

The Zone E Regional will be a three-day competition starting with the 1-meter dive on Thursday followed by the 3-meter on Friday and the platform on Saturday. The dive meet will begin at 10:30 a.m. CST each of those days at the Oklahoma City Community College pool.