College Diving
Rider's Burke 5th, Apostolakis 11th
at USA Diving Winter National Championships

COLUMBUS, Ohio--Seniors Amanda Burke (Southampton, Pa./William Tennent) and Paul Apostolakis (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) of the Rider University swimming and diving team competed at the 2010 USA Diving Winter National Championships, hosted by Ohio State University Monday afternoon.

Burke placed fifth in the finals of the one-meter (259.95) with Apostolakis finishing 11th in the quarter-finals on the one-meter board (282.45).

"Amanda was diving very consistent," said diving coach Dennis Ceppa.  "I almost think she could have finished a spot higher and that's saying something considering the level of competition.  Amanda averaged 7s in the whole event."

"Paul did ok," Ceppa said.  "He started strong but the competition heated up and he didn't finish as high as we had hoped.  He still dove very well and did a good job.  He gave it his all."

On the women's side, the one-meter was won by Kelci Bryant, a member of the 2008 United States Olympic team with a score of 294.70.  Bryant is currently enrolled at the University of Minnesota and placed fourth at the Olympics in Beijing.

In second was Indiana Hoosier Brittney Feldman who competed at the 2009 World University games.  Feldman finished less than five points behind Bryant with a score of 290.10.

"Amanda is accustomed to competing at this level," Ceppa said.  "She is finding that she fits in and this is where she needs to be to continue excelling.  Her effort and dedication to the sport have put her in a good position on the national level."

Also ahead of Burke were Kassidy Cook (284.70) and Katie Carter (260.50).  Cook is the USA Diving Junior Pan Am champion and Carter is a graduate of the University of Akron.

Winning the men's one-meter final was University of Tennessee grad Michael Wright with a score of 396.00.

Burke, a three-time NCAA participant, qualified for the event last week by finishing second in the preliminaries of the one-meter and sixth in the preliminaries of the three-meter.  A Communication major, Burke was unable to miss the class time in order to compete on the three-meter board.

Apostolakis qualified for the event based on his finish at the 2009 USA Summer Nationals.

"I was looking for Paul to finish at least in the top 12 so we are happy with his finish and how he handled the competition," said Ceppa.  "Both Paul and Amanda are mentally tougher for having competed at these national events.  Paul competed well on this level over the summer and it is continued learning process for him."

Rider competes at the 2010 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships in Baltimore, Maryland February 11-13.

"We base the sport of diving on perfection so there is always room for improvement," Ceppa added.  "We look to continue to improve all the time and we are looking for them to relax and compete at the championships with confidence in their abilities."

-RU-