21 Jan 2013
Sports Editor
Audra Stamp / Intern
With first place finishes in both the one and 3-meter dives and a second place finish in the platform dive, junior diver Rebecca Taylor had the best meet of her career in December at the University of the Incarnate Word Invitational.
Taylor has been a consistent leader in diving meets this season.
The UIW Invitational took place in her hometown of San Antonio, so it’s no wonder she was able to put together such a dominant performance.
“I was super stoked,” Taylor said. “It was a hometown crowd, my family was there and it was like a big hug fest.”
Taylor felt comfortable at the meet because she was familiar with the pool, the diving boards and the lighting, which can affect a diver’s performance, head diving coach Jim Pyrch said.
At the UIW Invitational, Taylor earned her highest score this season with 264.40 points in the 1-meter dive and her second highest score in the 3-meter dive with 267.80 points, 24.40 points behind her top score against Rice University in early November.
After Taylor’s performance at the Invitational, she became the second UNT diver this season to be named Sun Belt Conference diver of the week, only after junior Catherine Johnson, who received the honor in November.
In the team’s last meet on Wednesday, Taylor placed fourth and fifth in the one and 3-meter dives, respectively.
“She’s been having a really good year,” Pyrch said. “She’s learned a lot of new dives and they have done really well for her.”
With many new dives at high degrees of difficulty, Taylor hopes she can capture a first place finish at the Sun Belt Conference Championships from Feb. 27 to March 3.
“We all have our days, but when she’s in the zone, she’s unstoppable,” senior diver Delia Covo said.
Taylor, Johnson and Covo have already tallied enough points to qualify for the NCAA Zone D Diving Meet on March 11.
The UNT swimming and diving team will travel to Texas Christian University for its next meet on Jan. 30 at 6 p.m.
