Swimmers and Divers Honored By Big Ten
12/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Swimming and Diving
Dec. 15, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State divers Ivan Zalessov and Sarah Clay were each named Divers of the Week by the Big Ten Conference while kevin Puskaric was named Swimmer of the Week by the conference on Tuesday (Dec. 15).
Clay earned her second weekly diving laurel of the season after posting a pair of top finishes to help Michigan State edge Ball State, 155-145, on Saturday. The Spartan sophomore posted an NCAA qualifying score of 297.00 in the one-meter competition to best the field by nearly 50 points. She later followed that performance with a 276.23 mark on the three-meter board to rake in some crucial points for the Spartans. The honor is the second of the season for Clay as she last earned it on Oct. 20.
Zalessov captured the one-meter title on Saturday with a school-record and NCAA qualifying mark of 356.63. The Okemos native bested the previous record set by John Maxson in 1994 by more than 11 points. He then went on to score a 318.68 on the three-meter board to collect his second top finish of the day. This is the second weekly diving award for the Spartan senior who garnered his first laurel as a sophomore.
Puskaric garners his first weekly swimming laurel after swimming his way to three top-two finishes to lead the Spartans in a 183-117 victory over Ball State. Puskaric opened the meet for MSU by teaming up with Jon LaRocque, Sho Koba and Joe Schmitt to win the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:33.80. The Mokena, Ill., native later turned in a 2:02.57 in the 200 breaststroke, which was good for first place. The finish marked his second-fastest time to date in the event this season, and ranks among the top-10 fastest in school history. He finished the day by earning runner-up honors in the 200 freestyle, touching the wall in 1:44.22.
Players Mentioned
