Gophers senior diver Andrea Berg placed fourth in a field of 39 divers in the 3-meter competition at the United States Zone Diving championships in Beaverton, Ore. Berg’s finish earned her a spot in the USD national championships later this month, as only the top four divers advance.
Berg’s teammate Carrie Hansen also competed in the championships but placed 18th and did not advance.
Earlier in the zone championships, Berg won the 1-meter competition to advance to the national diving championships in that event.
Berg and Hansen teamed up to win the 3-meter synchronized diving title and advanced to the national championships.
Meanwhile, their coach, Kongzheng Li, teamed with former Gophers NCAA champion P.J. Bogart to win the men’s 3-meter synchronized diving event.
U sports ranked eighth
Minnesota is ranked eighth in the Sears Directors Cup standings, which recognizes the best overall Division I athletics programs in the country.
The competition measures success in nine core sports for both men and women with two wild card sports for each. The points are tallied based on national tournament finishes where the champion earns 64 points, second place earns 63 and so on. Points are also divided among schools involved in a tie.
The Gophers’ rank is the highest among Big Ten schools, but Wisconsin is close behind in ninth place. Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State and Iowa are all in the top 25. Stanford is No. 1 and North Carolina is No. 2, but almost 100 points separates the Tar Heels from third-place Nebraska.
Here are the sports that earned points for the Gophers:
ù Wrestling (third place, 62 points)
ù Men’s basketball (third, 61.5)
ù Hockey (fifth, 58.5)
ù Men’s track and field (10th, 54)
ù Men’s swimming and diving (12th, 52.5)
ù Women’s swimming and diving (13th, 52)