Andrew Cabobianco and Michael Hixon (center, top of podium) celebrate winning the USA Diving Senior National Championships 3-meter springboard title on May 20, 2019 in Indianapolis.
Four divers earned not only victories but also their places at the upcoming world championships at the USA Diving Senior National Championships, part of the Team USA Champions Series, presented by Xfinity.
In the men’s synchronized 3-meter springboard, that team is Andrew Capobianco and Michael Hixon, who won with a cumulative score of 406.44 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. They will represent the U.S. at the 18th FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, after the win on Monday.
Hixon won the silver medal in synchronized 3-meter at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 while Capobianco was the men’s individual 3-meter 2019 NCAA champion as well as the 2018 national champion in the 3-meter. Late last month they teamed up to win the bronze in the event at the FINA World Series stop in Montreal.
The competition taking place this week features the country’s best divers, with the top synchro team per event and top two individual divers per event based on cumulative scores making the world championships in July.
Their top-scoring dive on Monday was their fourth, a reverse 1 ½ somersault, 3 ½ twist that earned them 84 points. They followed that up with an inward 3 ½ somersault tuck that scored 83.64 points.
Jacob Fielding and Lyle Yost took second with a score of 351.60 while Jacob Cornish and Tyler Downs were third with a score of 348.90.
In the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform Monday, the winning duo was 2016 Olympian Katrina Young and Samantha Bromberg, who are headed to the world championships in two months. The two teamed up for the bronze medal in the women’s 10-meter synchro last month at the FINA Diving Grand Prix stop in Mission Viejo, California.
They earned a score of 63.90 for their third dive, a forward 3 ½ somersault pike, and kept getting better as the meet went progressed. Their inward 3 ½ somersault tuck earned a score of 67.20 while their last dive, a back 2 ½ somersault 1 ½ twist pike scored a 69.12 for a total cumulative score of 294.42.
Daryn Wright and 2016 Olympian Amy Magaña were second with a cumulative score of 281.40 and Olympian Jessica Parratto and Delaney Schnell were third with a score of 280.38.
Action continues in Indianapolis on Tuesday with the women’s synchronized 3-meter final and the men’s synchronized men’s platform final. The event wraps up May 26.
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
