National titles were rewarded to Grayson Campbell (Vienna, Va./Austin, Texas) and Greg Duncan (Oakton, Va./Chapel Hill, N.C.) for synchronized men’s 3-meter after taking the lead in the fifth round and finishing the finals with 383.19 points Thursday at the USA Diving Senior National Championships. Olympian Jessica Parratto (Dover, N.H./Bloomington, Ind.) and Tarrin Gilliland (Liberty Hill, Texas/Midland, Texas) secured the synchronized women’s platform title after completing the finals with 299.94 points.
Campbell and Duncan edged Olympic silver medalists Sam Dorman (Tempe, Ariz./Miami, Fla.) and Michael Hixon (Amherst, Mass./Bloomington, Ind.) by 8.4 points to claim the national title. Trailing by 28.44 points with two rounds to go, Campbell and Duncan performed a reverse 1 ½ somersault with 3 ½ twists for 79.8 points. Dorman and Hixon followed up with an inward 3 ½ tuck, which resulted in 46.92 points due to the pair’s mistakes. That miss moved Campbell and Duncan to the top of the standings, and they capitalized on their lead with a front 2 ½ somersault 2 twist pike for 82.62 points in the final round. Dorman and Hixon finished with a 78.66-point front 4 ½ tuck as the pair fell short of victory.
“Going out there and doing what we wanted to do. When we’re competing against them, we’re not really thinking of them as Olympic silver medalists. They’re just your competitors. When you’re out there competing, whether it’s a local meet, a national championship or an international meet, it’s the same mindset. We were out there seeing them like anyone else. Once the event starts and the whistle blows, everyone starts from zero and you’re trying to score the points where you can. Everyone starts on an even playing field,” Campbell said when asked about beating the Olympic silver medalist duo.
Parratto and Gilliland, who took first in the preliminaries, trailed Olivia Rosendahl (Los Angeles/Evanston, Ill.) and Olympian Katrina Young (Shoreline, Wash./Tallahassee, Fla.) by three points after round one before securing the lead in the second round. The duo maintained first place through the rest of the finals, with their most successful dive coming in the fourth round with an inward 3 ½ tuck for 74.88 points.
“I wanted to have consistent vols and I wanted to get my inward a little better, and I achieved that, which was great,” Parratto said about the dive.
Gilliland and Parrato, along with Dorman and Hixon, qualified for the United States World Cup team, which was determined by cumulative points scored in the preliminaries and finals. Both pairs will compete in 2018 FINA Diving World Cup in Wuhan, China.
The 2018 USA Diving Senior National Championships is part of the 2018 Team USA Summer Champions Series, presented by Xfinity. The champions series showcases numerous Olympic sports throughout the season, highlighting the year-round quest of Team USA athletes to compete at the Olympic Games.
The National Championships continue Friday, May 18 with preliminaries and finals for synchronized men’s platform and synchronized women’s 3-meter.
Results
Synchronized Men 3m Springboard (Final)
- Grayson Campbell (The University of Texas) / Gregory Duncan (North Carolina Diving), 383.19;2. Michael Hixon (Unattached) / Samuel Dorman (University of Miami), 374.79;3. Jacob Fielding (Trojan Dive Club) / Conor Casey (Alexandria Dive Club), 340.50;
Synchronized Women Platform (Final)
- Jessica Parratto (Unattached) / Tarrin Gilliland (City of Midland), 299.94;2. Olivia Rosendahl (Unattached) / Katrina Young (Florida State University Diving Team), 258.78;3. Christy Cutshaw (Club Wolverine Diving) / Julia Wortman (Coral Springs Diving), 223.56;
Synchronized Men 3m Springboard (Preliminary)
- Michael Hixon (Unattached) / Samuel Dorman (University of Miami), 395.82;2. Grayson Campbell (The University of Texas) / Gregory Duncan (North Carolina Diving), 367.41;3. Jacob Fielding (Trojan Dive Club) / Conor Casey (Alexandria Dive Club), 306.81;
Synchronized Women Platform (Preliminary)
- Jessica Parratto (Unattached) / Tarrin Gilliland (City of Midland), 292.26;2. Olivia Rosendahl (Unattached) / Katrina Young (Florida State University Diving Team), 270.96;3. Christy Cutshaw (Club Wolverine Diving) / Julia Wortman (Coral Springs Diving), 216.57;