Jack Ryan Sweeps Boards, Wins 3 Titles at USA Diving Winter Nationals
Stanford diver Jack Ryan earned three national titles this weekend at USA Diving Winter Nationals in Bloomington, Indiana.
Ryan started the meet by teaming with Quinn Henninger last Wednesday to win the synchronized men’s 3-meter event. Ryan went on to best his partner on 1-meter, then again on 3-meter.
Canadian international Mia Vallee, diving for Miami, pulled a similar springboard sweep, winning 1-meter and 3-meter on the women’s side.
Ryan and Henninger scored 825.72 points on synchro, putting the former Mile High Dive Club teammates 62 points ahead of runners-up Joshua Sollenberger and Luke Sitz. Ryan tallied 792.65 points ahead of prelims and finals of 1-meter, 72 clear of Henninger for the crown. Henninger rallied past Indiana teammate Carson Tyler for second by less than four points, with fellow Hoosier Andrew Capobianco fifth.
On 3-meter, Ryan, who won bronze in both 3-meter and 3-meter synchro (with Tyler Downs) at the 2023 Pan American Games, was just seven points up on Tyler after the semifinals but blew him away in the final, tallying 852.40 points to win by 85 points, with a dive to spare. Henninger was third, Collier Dyer fourth.
The men’s platform title went to Joshua Hedberg, who scored 828.05 points. He was 36 points ahead of Purdue’s Jordan Rzepka, who had been eighth after semifinals bur roared home. He passed Andrew Bennett by a tenth of a point for second place. Maxwell Flory placed fourth.
Sixth in individual platform was Max Weinrich, who on Thursday teamed with Dash Glasberg to win platform synchro. Glasberg finished 15th individually.
Vallee’s 3-meter victory was a classic, the Canadian prevailing by 0.70 points over Anna Kwong. Vallee scored 576.65, needing every bit of it. Avery Worobel finished third, ahead of Kyndal Knight and Lily Witte. Just 11.30 points separated the top five.
On 1-meter, Vallee, who owns two career Worlds medals and gold from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, scored 518.50 to best American Olympian Hailey Hernandez by 11.75 points. Hernandez’s 506.75 edged Sophie Verzyl by eight tenths of a point. Lanie Gutch finished fourth. Knight was sixth, the place Verzyl had taken on 3-meter, followed by Margo O’Meara and Knight.
Witte paired with Bailee Sturgill to win women’s 3-meter synchro with a score of 513.12, their third straight year competing together at this meet. They were 15 points ahead of Knight and Kwong, who scored 497.40 to rally past O’Meara and Verzyl by .3 points.
The women’s platform title went to Paris Olympian Daryn Wright, who scored 655.65, 80 points ahead of the field. Anna Lemkin won a tight battle with Sophia McAfee for second. Lemkin and Gutch paired to win platform synchro with a score of 506.64.
Wright was one of four Paris Olympians in attendance and the only one of six female Olympians to compete. Tyler was joined by Capobianco and Downs, who finished 21st in prelims of 1-meter and didn’t advance. Capobianco only competed on 1-meter.