The Nevada swimming and diving team wrapped up a banner season on Saturday in the final day of competition at the NCAA Championships in the McAuley Aquatic Center. Led by two diving titles from sophomore Sharae Zheng, the Wolf Pack placed 20th overall with 56 team points. Nevada is the highest placing non-power five team at NCAAs.
Head coach Neil Harper and diving coach Jian Li You guided Nevada to a remarkable 2016 campaign. The Wolf Pack posted a 10-0 dual record in the regular season, won the first Mountain West championship in program history and notched a top 20 finish at the NCAA Championships.
The Wolf Pack had two student-athletes compete on Saturday, highlighted by senior Krysta Palmer’s performance in platform diving. The Carson City native capped her stellar career by placing 10th on the platform, earning honorable mention All-American honors for the second straight season. Palmer placed 15th in the prelims with a score of 252.00. The two-time Mountain West Diver of the Year than placed runner-up in the ‘B’ finals with a score of 275.05. Palmer also placed ninth on the 1-meter springboard and 45th on the 3-meter springboard at NCAAs.
Also competing for the final time in her Wolf Pack career was senior Yawen Li, a three-time All-MW selection and reigning All-American. The native of Wuhan, China, swam in the 200-yard breaststroke prelims, placing 51st with a time of 2:13.62. Li swam in three events at the NCAA Championships, also placing 44th in the 400-yard IM and 50th in the 200-yard IM.
Nevada also competed in the 800-yard freestyle relay, which was the NCAA Championship’s opening event, on Friday evening. Junior Teresa Baerens, freshman Rebecca Murray, junior Sita Kusserow and freshman Caitlyn Richardson swam the event in 7:14.70, placing 26th.
The Wolf Pack will graduate seniors Palmer, Li and Erin Fuss this season. Nevada will however return a talented team for the 2016-17 campaign with 19 letter winner returning
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Sophomore Sharae Zheng has been named Diver of the Year and coach Jian Li You has been named Diving Coach of the Year, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America announced on Saturday following the NCAA Championships at the McAuley Aquatics Center.
Zheng and You led the Wolf Pack to a 20th place finish at the NCAA Championships – the highest among any non-power five team – as Nevada’s divers accumulated 56 total points.
A 5-foot-1 diver from Chengdu, China, Zheng took the NCAA Championships by storm, sweeping the springboard diving titles at the meet. Zheng won the 1-meter springboard title on Thursday with a finals score of 344.95. She then won the 3-meter diving title on Friday, posting a career-high score of 404.70.
Zheng won the University of Nevada’s first individual national championship in 14 years. She also becomes just the third student-athlete in Wolf Pack history to win multiple Division I national titles in the same season. Zheng caps her incredible sophomore season with four regular season titles, two Mountain West titles, one NCAA Regional title and two NCAA titles.
In her 20th season as the head diving coach at Nevada, Jian Li You’s 2016 campaign brought the program immeasurable success. You helped Nevada acquire all 56 of the team’s points at the NCAA Championships as Zheng tallied 40 points with two titles and senior Krysta Palmer scored 18 points with a ninth and 10th place finish.
You’s CSCAA Diving Coach of the Year honor goes along with her being named MW Diving Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season. A former Chinese national championship diver, You has earned seven conference diving coach of the year honors in her storied career.
Nevada Press Release
