Krysta Palmer and Alison Gibson (center, top of podium) celebrate winning the USA Diving Senior National Championships 3-meter springboard on May 21, 2019 in Indianapolis.
With a trip to the world championships on the line, Purdue standout Brandon Loschiavo entered not once but twice in the men’s synchronized 10-meter platform at the USA Diving Senior National Championships, part of the Team USA Champions Series, presented by Xfinity, on Tuesday.
Loschiavo and Jordan Windle led the way after qualifying, while Loschiavo and David Dinsmore sat in third place. After the afternoon’s final, however, it was Loschiavo and Dinsmore who earned the win, but it was actually runners-up Steele Johnson and Ben Bramley who secured the right to represent the U.S. at the 18th FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, in July.
Loschiavo and Dinsmore turned in a big score on their fifth out of six dives, a forward 4 ½ somersault tuck that earned them an 85.47. They followed that up with a back 2 ½ somersault 2 ½ twist pike that scored a 78.84 to give them a total of 414.39. 2016 Olympic synchro silver medalist Johnson and Bramley finished second with a total of 404.91 while Loschiavo and Windle were third with 369.57.
Johnson and Bramley also finished second in the preliminary round, and their cumulative score was 800.49. Loschiavo and Dinsmore were second in the race for the worlds spot with a 792.27, while Loschiavo and Windle’s total was 765.93.
The meet marked Johnson’s return to competition for the first time in nearly a year. He underwent foot surgery in September 2018 and had a follow-up procedure 15 weeks later. This will be his third appearance at world championships. His highest previous synchro finish was fifth with David Boudia in 2015.
The competition is taking place in Indianapolis. The top synchro team per event and the top two individual divers per event based on cumulative scores make the squad that will travel to the world championships.
In Tuesday’s women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard, that duo is Alison Gibson and Krysta Palmer. The two teamed up last month to win gold in the same event at the FINA Diving Grand Prix in Mission Viejo, California, and on Tuesday they emerged victorious again.
Gibson and Palmer were in second after the prelims but moved their way to the top spot in the final earning a total score of 292.23. Their highest-scoring dive was their third of five, a forward 2 ½ somersault 1 twist pike that earned a 67.50. They edged Sarah Bacon and Kristen Hayden, who were second with a total score of 286.80 and Samantha Bromberg and Brooke Schultz, who led after preliminaries but finished third with a total of 272.70.
Gibson and Palmer’s cumulative score was 573.36 to Bromberg and Schultz’s 559.80, giving them the national title and spot at worlds.e 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.
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.
