University of Massachusets Athletics
Diving To Compete In Frank Elm Invitational
November 15, 2012 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Nov. 15, 2012
AMHERST, Mass. - While the UMass swimmers will be competing at the Terrier Invitational the divers will head to the campus of Rutgers University for the Frank Elm Invitational. The three-day event, formally known as the Galbraith Diving Invitational, will host school such as Villanova, Westchester, St. Peters, Drexel, and Johns Hopkins along with the host schools squads. This will be the first action in the RU Aquatic Center since October 26 due to Hurricane Sandy.
The Minutemen divers, led by head coach Mandy Hixon, have had great success thus far this season pacing the Atlantic 10 in both the three- and one-meter diving events. In the three-meter, Josh Koppel leads the pack with a score of 333.53, which he set last weekend in a 172-126 loss to Brown University. Alexander Merkulov is right behind Koppel in the three-meter with score of 329.10. In the one-meter dive Merkulov also sits in second place with a score of 292.87, while Koppel is in fourth with a score of 277.95.
On the women's boards the Minutewomen boast arguably the best diving trio in the Atlantic 10 led by last year's one- and three-meter champion Michaela Butler. Butler so far this season leads the conference in both one- and three-meter diving scores, with a 293.25 and 300.45, respectively. Junior Mary Atkinson owns both second place scores with a 259.35 in the one-meter and 255.22 in the three-meter dive. Finally rounding out the trio is the 2011 A-10 three-meter champ Molly Elkins. So far this season Elkins has picked up scores of 231.45 (one-meter) and 239.85 (three-meter), good for sixth in the conference thus far.
The divers will be rejoining their teams on December 3 as the Minutemen play host to Yale, while the Minutewomen travel to take on Northeastern.