The American Kennel Club (AKC) and ESPN joined forces for the AKC Diving Dog Challenge, an all-star invitational competition hosted by the College of Veterinary Medicine on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. Highlights from the exciting dog sport event will air in a two-hour presentation on ESPN2 on Sunday, April 9, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.
N.C. State was the home of men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano, who 40 years ago led the Wolfpack to the 1983 national championship title. The AKC Diving Dog Challenge commemorated the anniversary of the championship as well as the 30th anniversary of the founding of the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
The V Foundation was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Valvano, who was an ESPN commentator after his coaching career. Since then, the Foundation has awarded over $310 million in research grants, which have been used to fund all cancer types at the 71 NCI-designated cancer centers in the US and other exceptional research institutions.
N.C. State College of Veterinary Medicine is a beneficiary of the V Foundation’s canine comparative oncology research grant program. Canine comparative oncology allows researchers to better understand the similarities of cancers that commonly occur in dogs and humans, with a goal of more efficient and less costly drug trials, new treatment plans, and improved outcomes for both dog and human cancer patients.
The AKC Diving Dog Challenge included 36 top diving dogs from around the country competing in three divisions: Distance, Air Retrieve and Hydro Dash.
Carolyn Manno is the play-by-play commentator for the telecast, joined by analyst Jason Rigler and host/reporter Phil Murphy.