College Swimming & Diving
Rider's Burke at NCAA Championships
17th on the One-Meter

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.--Senior Amanda Burke (Southampton, Pa./William Tennent) of the Rider University swimming and diving team is competing at the 2010 NCAA Championships, at Doris Z Holloway Pool in the Boilermaker Aquatic Center at Purdue University March 18-20.

On Thursday, in the preliminaries of the one-meter dive, Burke placed 17th out of 37 divers with a score of 284.85, missing out on advancing to the finals by only 4.20 points.

"It was frustrating said diving coach Dennis Ceppa.  "Amanda missed her first dive and battled all the way back and just missed making the finals.  She was last after her first dive."

The top 16 divers advanced to the finals Thursday evening.

"The first dive hurt her score," Ceppa said.  "It was an incredible comeback.  She made up the points but not quite enough.  It goes to her character that she missed her first dive and didn't give up and battled back.  She is right there, the talent and ability are right there, there just isn't any margin for error."

Burke, who is making her third trip to NCAAs, qualified last weekend at the NCAA Zone 'A' championships by winning the three-meter board and placing second on the one-meter board.

A two-time Rider Female Athlete of the Year, Burke was 20th on the one-meter and 24th on the three-meter board at the 2009 NCAA championships after placing 35th on the three-meter and 39th on the one-meter at the 2008 NCAAs.

Burke will compete in the three-meter diving competition on Friday.

"Amanda has more confidence on the three-meter board and I expect her to do well and compete in the finals," said Ceppa.  "She has the ability to be at the top and Friday is her stronger event so I expect her to excel.  She is a better diver than these results showed today."

-RU-