Senior captures second 1-meter championship
"The funny thing is I wasn't watching the scores," Zack told GamecocksOnline.com. "I wasn't watching the board so I had no idea. I knew everyone was diving well, but I also knew that I was diving well and I was hitting all of my objectives."
Zack not only won her second SEC Championship with her dive but also set a four-year old record with a score of 336.55. The previous record was 333.90. Zack also became South Carolina's fourth diver to win multiple SEC Championships.
The dive capped off both a successful career and a remarkable recovery from adversity for Zack.
"Taryn has come back from tearing her Labrum and just trained her heart out and dove her heart out today," coach Todd Sherritt said following the meet. "It was a great competition out there. The whole field did great, and her leaving by setting the SEC record — it was a perfect day for us."
South Carolina's Courtney Forcucci finished in fourth place with a personal-high of 315.95.
Zack put herself in position when she put up a score of 57.60 in the third round to move into second place. After the fifth round, she was in the lead, but LSU's Becca St. Germain wasn't far off as the two battled for the SEC crown.
Going into the final dive, Zack needed to post at least a score of 57 to win the championship, but after earning a 62.40, the highest score on a dive for the night, she accomplished more than she had imagined.
"It was a great way to end my senior year in the SEC," Zack said. "I was really looking to have one more win under my belt, and it was just a great way to finish."