Josh Davidson (L), Avery Worobel (M) and Brooke Schultz (R) all won gold for Team USA on day one of the 2017 Junior Pan American Championships
The opening day of competition at the 2017 Junior Pan American Championships saw American divers record six medals Thursday afternoon in Victoria, British Columbia with 3 golds and 3 silvers. Gold medalists included Avery Worobel (Cary, N.C./Duke Diving), Brooke Schultz (Fayetteville, Ark./University of Arkansas) and Josh Davidson (Tomball, Texas/Florida State University). Jack Matthews (Powell, Ohio/Ohio State Diving Club), Denny Guila-Janovski (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Fort Lauderdale Diving Team) and Hailey Hernandez (Southlake, Texas/GC Divers) all won silver medals.
Worobel forged the first U.S. gold of the day with a top mark of 248.95 in the 11-and-under girls’ platform final. She was joined in the final by American teammate Lanie Gutch (Orlando, Fla./YCF Diving Team) who scored 223.10 for fourth-place overall. The duo will also compete together in the 1-meter and 3-meter events later in the meet.
Matthews added a silver to the medal haul with a score of 391.10 in the 14-15 boys’ 1-meter final, finishing only behind Mexico’s Randal Willars Valdez (415.00). Tyler Downs (Ballwin, Mo./RipFest) also competed in the final with Matthews, etching a mark of 376.65 for a fifth-place finish.
Guila-Janovski produced another silver for Team USA with a second-place performance in the 12-13 boys’ platform event, amassing 343.65 points. Mexico’s Osmar Olvera Ibarra took the top of the podium with 369.45 points. Max Fowler (Burke, Va./Alexandria Dive Club) finished sixth for the red, white and blue with 300.05 points.
Davidson joined the gold rush by crafting a first-place finish in the 16-18 boys’ 3-meter, earning the top spot with a total of 518.00 points. Compatriot Noah Duperre (New Albany, Ohio/Ohio State Diving Club) took fifth overall in the final with 496.65 points.
Team USA scored another gold thanks to Schultz, a member of the 2017 FINA World Championships team. The Arkansas Razorback posted 409.95 points in the final, topping the field by 28.80 points. Bridget O’Neil (Southlake, Texas/GC Divers) finished fourth in the event with 370.50 points.
Hernandez capped off the day with a silver in the 14-15 girls’ platform final with 340.50 points. She was narrowly beat out by Mexico’s Victoria Garza Garza who finished with 343.60 points. Daryn Wright (Plainfield, Ind./The Indiana International School of Diving) claimed fifth overall in the final with a mark of 304.60 points.
Day two of the 2017 Junior Pan American Championships starts tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. EST/9:00 a.m. PST. The 11-and-under boys’ 3-meter, 14-15 girls’ 1-meter, 12-13 girls’ platform, 16-18 girls’ 3-meter, 16-18 boys’ 1-meter and 14-15 boys’ platform finals will all be contested.
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