Freshman Stacey Luke will compete for her chance to advance to national championships.
Complete Release in PDF Format 
March 8, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - Freshman diver Stacey Luke from Kenmoor, Wash., will represent the Bulldogs this week as she prepares to compete against some of the best divers in the nation at the 2010 NCAA diving zones.
At the beginning of each season the NCAA sets individual qualifying standards for each swimming and diving event. Throughout the regular season if a swimmer posts a fast enough time in an event or a diver scores a high enough point total in any one of their dives, they get the opportunity to move on to the postseason. In divings case the postseason consists of divers being divided up into five different zones throughout the country. At the five different zones, divers battle to secure one of the limited spots that transfer to the NCAA diving championships.
To qualify for 2010 NCAA zones a diver must earn a score of 255 points or better in the 1-meter dive and at least 270 points in the 3-meter event to become eligible.
With her strong performance on the 1-meter board against conference rival San Jose State where she recorded a career best score of 265.87, Luke became the first Bulldog since the return of the program to earn the opportunity to compete in zones.
Luke has been assigned to Zone E and will compete at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center at the University of Texas on Thursday March 11, 2010. The 1-meter preliminary round will take place at 10:00 a.m. and the final round will start at 12:45 p.m. Luke will face off against premiere divers from elite conferences such as the PAC-10, Big 12 and WAC.
"This will be a great opportunity for Stacey to see what else is out their and what she will be going up against in the years to come," said diving coach Taryn Patrick. "If she is consistent with all of her dives she has a great opportunity to earn one of the six qualifying spots up for grabs and get herself to the championships. She has done a great job all season."
Luke has been the top diver for the Bulldogs this season and contributed the most championship points by any Bulldog at this seasons conference meets showing that she has what it takes to compete amongst the best divers in the country already as a freshman.
Bulldogs Rally to Eighth Place Finish at WAC Championships
The Fresno State swimming and diving team put up a strong team effort with multiple swimmers posting season and career best efforts at the 2010 WAC Championships in San Antonio, Texas, where the Bulldogs rallied on the final day of competition to finish in eight place.
The `Dogs team effort at the conference meet was a major improvement from last season, showing that the young Bulldog swimming and diving team is moving in the right direction and is only going to get better as they continue to gain experience.
"We improved so much over the past year," said head coach Jeanne Fleck. "I am extremely proud of all of my swimmers and divers and I really can't wait to come back and do it again next year. We will continue to improve and we will be even better next season."
Next season the Bulldogs will look forward to hosting events at the new home facility that is currently under construction.
"We Are Your Team" - Next up, the Stacey Luke will be in Austin, Texas battling for a transfer spot to the NCAA Championships. Check out gobulldogs.com for all your swimming and diving information along with exclusive team blogs.
