Aycock's Hall claims third ECC 1-meter diving crown

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on January 24, 2014 7:24 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

The early-round dives looked a little rough around the edges.

Once practice partners Devin Hall and Willie Smith found their respective grooves and relaxed, each executed their remaining dives with ease Wednesday afternoon.

And Hall, as expected, accomplished one postseason goal. The Charles B. Aycock senior racked up a 364-296 victory over Smith, and claimed his third Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference 1-meter diving title.

The remainder of the season-ending ECC championship meet is Friday at Minges Natatorium on the East Carolina University campus. The first event begins at 7 p.m.

"I thought me and Willie both dove exceptionally well," said Hall, a four-time all-ECC recipient. "We're both preparing for states and regionals, and using the past few meets as guages toward that.

"I was hoping to add a few more points to my score (career-best 400) last week, but I made a few mental errors. I still had a pretty decent meet, I think."

Decent, indeed.

Hall performed several smooth dives that received scores of 6 and 6 1/2 on occasion from the three judges. The degree of difficulty averaged out to 33-plus points per dive.

Smith, a senior at Eastern Wayne, loosened up midway through the meet. The earlier minor miscues seemed like a distant memory when he nailed two consecutive dives, and earned some of his better marks on the day.

"I think mentally when I started diving (today), I wasn't ready ... a little nervous and I wasn't doing the dives right," Smith said. "When I got into the mood, the dives started flowing. I felt like today wasn't my best, I could have been a little better.

"The competition, we're not on the same level, but I like to dive with him to see the higher level. He's a good friend and we're good rivals."

Hall begins defense of his eastern regional crown Jan. 31 at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. Smith will also compete for an opportunity to the advance to the state finals.