Michal Bower seen here competing for Indiana University at the 2016 NCAA Championships
Michal Bower (Loveland, Colo./Indiana University) led a trio of American divers on the first day of diving at the 2017 World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan, finishing seventh in the women’s 1-meter event at the University of Taipei Diving Pool on Sunday.
Bower totaled a score of 255.95 in the final, including three dives of 54.00 or more points. The Hoosier started her final with an inward 1½ somersault pike worth 54.00 points to leave her in third after the round. She then posted a score of 47.15 on a back 1½ somersault pike in round two and followed with her highest-scoring dive of the final in round three, a reverse 1½ somersault pike that produced 55.20 points. Bower closed out with scores of 45.00 (back 1½ somersault 1½ twist free) and 54.60 (forward 2½ somersault pike) points to come in seventh place overall.
Dolores Hernandez (Mexico) took gold in the event, scoring 278.70. She scored 54.00 or more points on all of her dives in the final. Un Gyong Choe (North Korea) earned silver with 271.35 points and Germany’s Louisa Stawczynski won bronze at 268.15.
Bower secured a spot in the final after finishing third in semifinal A with a total of 238.40. She scored 238.05 in the preliminary to claim 12th place and qualify for the semifinal.
2017 FINA World Championships team members Brooke Schultz (Fayetteville, Ark./University of Arkansas) and Alison Gibson (Austin, Texas/University of Texas) finished 15th and 18th overall. Schultz compiled 234.55 points in the preliminary, while Gibson produced 229.10 points.
The next day of diving at the 2017 World University Games includes the men’s 1-meter preliminary, which will feature U.S. divers Joey Cifelli (Crown Point, Ind./Purdue University), Briadam Herrera (Miami, Fla./University of Miami) and Christo Law (San Antonio, Texas/Ohio State University). The preliminary is scheduled to start at 10:00 PM EST (8/20)/10:00 AM TTZ (8/21).
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