July 31, 2007

Kaiser Permanente National Diving Championships: Field set for synchro finals following Tuesday's semifinals  
 
STANFORD, Calif. – The synchronized diving teams that will compete for national titles later this week at the Kaiser Permanente National Diving Championships have been finalized following Tuesday’s semifinal competition. Men’s 3-meter and women’s 10-meter synchro titles will be awarded August 4, with men’s 10-meter and women’s 3-meter synchro finals taking place August 5.

The eight divers who competed at last week’s Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were given an automatic berth into the synchro finals. The Pan Am divers traveled to the U.S. on Monday and were given a bye to have a day of rest after the 24-hour trip. Automatically advancing to the synchro finals are Pan Am Games 3-meter synchro gold medalists Troy Dumais (Ventura, Calif.) and Mitch Richeson (Greenwood, Ind.); 10-meter synchro gold medalists David Boudia (Noblesville, Ind.) and Thomas Finchum (Indianapolis, Ind.); 3-meter synchro silver medalists Kelci Bryant (Chatham, Ill.) and Ariel Rittenhouse (Santa Cruz, Calif.); and 10-meter synchro bronze medalists Mary Beth Dunnichay (Elwood, Ind.) and Haley Ishimatsu (Seal Beach, Calif.).

All other teams competed in Tuesday’s semis, with the top six teams on each event advancing to the finals.

Olympian Justin Wilcock (Smithfield, Utah) and Burkley Showe (Columbus, Ohio) led the men’s 3-meter synchro semifinal field with 354.15 points. Drew Brown (Centennial, Colo.) and Sean Moore (Englewood, Colo.), who will compete at the World University Games in Thailand following the nationals, were second at 320.01.

Amanda Miller (Centreville, Va.) and Christina Loukas (Riverwoods, Ill.), also bound for the World University Games, scored 287.40 points to lead the women’s 3-meter synchro semis. 2006 national champions Mary Yarrison (Springfield, Va.) and Abby Johnston (Columbus, Ohio) were second with 276.00 points.

Two teams from the Woodlands Diving Academy took the top two spots in the women’s 10-meter synchro semis. 2000 Olympic gold medalist Laura Wilkinson (Spring, Texas) and Jessica Livingston (The Woodlands, Texas) scored 305.28 points to lead the field, and Kaylea Arnett (Spring, Texas) and Michelle Cabassol (Montgomery, Texas) took second with 273.06 points. Arnett and Cabassol also advanced to the 3-meter synchro finals.

JJ Kinzbach (Montgomery, Texas) and Daniel Mazzaferro (Cheshire, Conn.), another World University Games team, topped the men’s 10-meter synchro field with 382.68 points, followed by Matt Bricker (Winter Park, Fla.) and Nick McCrory (Chapel Hill, N.C.) at 377.04.

The Kaiser Permanente National Diving Championships run through Sunday, August 5 at the Maas Diving Center at Stanford University. Wednesday’s competition features men’s 3-meter quarterfinals and semifinals – including Dumais, who won a bronze on the event at the Pan Am Games – and women’s 1-meter quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Competition starts at noon each day. Saturday and Sunday’s finals will be webcast live on the AT&T blue room beginning at 11:30 Pacific time at http://attblueroom.com/sports/teamusa.

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