Special to the
Opelika Observer
Opelika High School alum and Auburn University diver Conner Pruitt scored a meet-high 77.55 on his final dive to claim the platform title at the Georgia Diving Invitational last Sunday morning. He edged out second-place by 4.60 points to claim the title, his second platform win of the season.
Pruitt scored a 76.80 on his first dive and a 72.00 on his fifth dive en route to the title. His final score of 348.50 put him just ahead of Tennessee’s William Hallam, who scored a 343.90.
“We need to be a little more accurate and focused on backs and gainers but I’m really pleased with the win for Conner,” said Auburn diving coach Jeff Shaffer.
Alison Maillard finished sixth in the women’s platform competition, scoring a 236.50. The sixth-place finish gave her three top-six finishes for the invitational.
“Alison did four really solid dives but unfortunately on her second dive, a front two-and-a-half with one twist, she under-rotated and just needed to be a little more aggressive,” Shaffer said.
Logan Andrews scored a 286.60 to finish ninth in the men’s field of 21.
“The benefit of everyone being here was that the competition was great and we are going to see this same competition plus even more when we come back for SECs,” Shaffer said. “A lot of the same people will be competing to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships were here as well. That gives us a little foresight into where we are and what we need to improve upon to improve our scoring potential and dive up to our potential.
“Overall a really good three days of competition and hopefully we learned a lot from it,” Shaffer said.
The diving team will join with the swimming team for a dual meet against Texas on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Martin Aquatics Center. Admission is free.