Calrton wins 2-of-3 events at NCAA qualifications

The IU swimmers might have enough help to propel the Hoosiers to a national title. Only seven spots were available for divers at the Zone C Championships toward the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis -- IU made huge strides to a national title by capturing three spots, more than any other school during the competition this weekend in West Lafayette.\nAll-American senior diver Marc Carlton, who took two out of three events at the Zone C championships, seized the first overall spot as a qualifier. Sophomore Brian Mariano took the fourth spot, and junior Ryan Fagan took the seventh and last spot for the NCAAs.\n"(Jeff Huber) has been a huge help," Mariano said. "Everyone has improved from a mental aspect because of him."\nThe Hoosiers want to make a national statement after finishing a close-second in the Big Ten Championships behind No. 6 Minnesota. Huber, the IU diving head coach, has won eight Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year awards, the most recent being this season.\n"(Carlton) is everything -- he is the heart and soul of this team," Huber said. "His goal should be to be a national champion."\nCarlton took a third-place finish in the one-meter dive, which pushed the Big Ten Diver of the Year to Minneapolis. However, he provided a potential sneak peek toward the NCAAs -- he took first in both the three-meter and platform diving competitions. His first-place finishes were in the same events in which he claimed Big Ten titles.\n"The big goals for this year are to help the team win," Carlton said.\nMariano advanced to the NCAAs after a third-place finish in the three-meter dive, before a second-place finish in the platform diver competition. Fagan took sixth in the one-meter, fifth in the three-meter, and ninth in the platform dive.