Teammates Cool to Competition : Diving: Nadadores Sandy Zubrin and Summer Brown finish one-two in U.S. Zone D championships.

No pressure, no panic attacks, no problems.

For some of the top competitors, the U.S. Diving Zone D championships aren’t about to make their blood pressure rise. The top two finishers in the girls’ 16-18 three-meter event Saturday afternoon at the Marguerite Recreation Center Diving Complex looked upon the meet as low-key competition among friends.

Sandy Zubrin out-twisted Mission Viejo Nadadores teammate Summer Brown in a one-two finish that closely resembled the competition in Friday’s one-meter meet.

“I’m getting used to her always winning,” Brown said with a grin.

Brown, who will be a junior at Capistrano Valley High this fall, finished with 409.75 points to the 420.70 earned by Zubrin, who will be a junior at Corona del Mar High.

Neither diver was overly impressed with her effort, but both cited next week’s competition at the U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Tex., as the reason.

“This was a warm-up to that,” Zubrin said. “We’re saving the best for last. But this helps you to relax, it gets you prepared.”

Still, most divers had to take this meet fairly seriously--the top five qualify for Junior Olympic nationals, Aug. 4-9, in Pasadena. In the three meters, Zubrin had pre-qualified. Brown hadn’t, but her dives kept her within striking distance of Zubrin.

The teammates, who have worked out side-by-side for five years, were even up for the task of critiquing each others’ performances.

“Her back 2 1/2 can go a lot better,” Brown said of Zubrin.

“She could clean up some of her gainers,” Zubrin countered good-naturedly.

The Nadadores’ Jeff Nichols has done some cleaning up this season. He was third in the boys’ 16-18 one-meter competition Saturday. He took second in Friday’s three-meter meet.

“I’m never this consistent,” Nichols said.

Or this advanced. Nichols, who will try to qualify for senior nationals next week in Santa Clara, decided earlier this season that to compete at a higher level, he needed to adjust.

“I wasn’t doing well on my easy dives, so I had to increase my difficulty,” said Nichols, who had 425.35 points. Drew Jackson of the Oregon-based Tualatin Hills Dive Club was first with 434.05 points. Jarrod Flores of Cougar Divers was second (433.60).

Diving Notes

Many area divers qualified for Junior Olympic nationals in Pasadena next month. In the girls’ 13-under one-meter, they are Nadadores Kristen Marquis, Erica Sorgi, Hope Severtsen and Genevieve Elefante. No local divers qualified in the boys’ 13-under three-meter, but in the girls’ 14-15 platform, Kenesha Jesperson, Shannon Pace and Delilah More will represent the Mission Viejo club. Tyce Routson joins teammate Jeff Nichols as a qualifier in the boys’ 16-18 one-meter and Amy Sloan joins teammates Sandy Zubrin and Summer Brown in the girls’ 16-18 three-meter. . . . Today’s final day of zone competition begins at 9 a.m.