COLLEGE STATION, Texas - A trio of Green Bay divers - Daniel Pogue (Chisholm, Minn.), Lauren McGraw (Woodbury, Minn.) and Kayla Deters (Sauk Rapids, Minn.) - began competition at the NCAA Zone D Diving Championships Friday at the Texas A&M University Student Rec Natatorium. The three-day event determines the qualifiers for the 2010 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, held March 18-20 in West Lafayette, Ind.

Pogue placed 16th of 24 competitors on the men's 3-meter board with a score of 578.60. It was the highest placing by a Green Bay diver in a 3-meter event at an NCAA Zone meet. The sophomore, who is competing at Zones for the second straight year, improved upon his 32nd-place performance from a year ago in the event.

"Danny had a very strong performance in four of his six dives today," Phoenix diving coach Tom Stover said. "He is expected to continue his solid diving tomorrow on the 1-meter."

McGraw, a senior making her third consecutive appearance at the meet, placed 34th on 1-meter board (209.40). Deters, a junior, was 42nd from 3-meters with a score of 187.50 in her first trip to Zones.

"Lauren didn't have the strongest of starts today, but finished very well," Stover said. "Kayla is just getting her feet wet at this very strong level of competition and we expect that both may have a better day on the 3-meter board on Saturday."

The Phoenix divers are back in action tomorrow with the men's 1-meter and women's 3-meter events.

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