Samantha Klaasen Completes Big Diving Weekend With Second Place on Three-Meter At Regional Meet
Saturday, March 02, 2013
Photo by Sandy Palmatter
Calvin senior Samantha Klaasen (Holland/Holland Christian HS) had a stellar performance on day two of the NCAA Division III diving regional at Calvin’s Venema Aquatic Center Saturday afternoon, finishing second on the three-meter board with a score of 482.60, finishing just three points behind winner Renee Jordan of Macalester College.
On Friday night, Klaasen captured the regional one-meter diving title with a pool record score of 496.60 points to earn an automatic qualifying spot to the NCAA III Championships March 20-23 in Shenandoah, Texas. Klaasen will be eligible to compete on both the one and three-meter boards and will be making her first trip to the national meet.
Also competing for Calvin on Saturday was freshman Sarah Roth (Brighton/Brighton HS). Roth took 14th with a score of 388.35 points.
“I’m really proud of both of our divers,” said Calvin diving coach Aaron Paskvan. “Sam was steady as a rock all weekend. She rose to the challenge and she’s got another three weeks to her collegiate diving career as a result. Sarah was battling an injury but she refused to use that as an excuse and she competed hard. Diving this weekend was a valuable experience for her and it will help her in future years. She has a bright future ahead of her.”
