The Boilermakers were led by David Colturi's two championships
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, April 26. THE Purdue diving team claimed the top spot at the Speedo USA Diving Spring National Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Boilermakers scored 171.5 points as a combined team during the five-day event, which began Wednesday and wrapped up Sunday.
Sophomore David Colturi led the charge by claiming the first two national titles of his career. The two-time All-American earned 424.05 points from the platform Sunday to win his individual championship. Colturi, a Sylvania, Ohio, native, then teamed with Ohio State sophomore Sean Moore to score 395.28 points and win the synchronized platform crown. The duo also combined to finish third in the synchronized 3-meter after scoring 349.68. Colturi's victories qualify him to compete in the FISU World University Games, which will be contested July 2-12 in Belgrade, Serbia. He also finished third in the 1-meter springboard Wednesday after scoring 357.95 points.
"My first national title feels unbelievable," Colturi said. "It was an amazing week competing against my best friends, and I couldn't have asked for a better result."
Because of Purdue's team championship, head diving coach Adam Soldati was named head coach for the AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix. The best divers in America will return to Fort Lauderdale to compete under Soldati's direction May 7-9.
"It's been a long year," Soldati said. "The team has continued to fight and brought back national championships individually and as a team. Colturi stepped up when the wind was blowing at about 20 miles per hour on the 10-meter and hit six of six dives to take home the victory. He competed like a champion today."
Sophomore Kara Cook also earned a spot in the World University Games after earning a runner-up finish in the synchronized platform competition. Cook and Audra Egenolf, a sophomore at Southern Methodist, scored 257.37 points Saturday on their way to finishing second. Also Saturday, Cook finished 12th in the 10-meter final after scoring 223.30 points.
Junior Kyle Mitrione advanced to the finals on all three boards. He began his week with a fifth-place showing off the 1-meter after scoring 330.65 points. The Haddonfield, N.J., native also finished 10th from the 3-meter with his 331.00-point showing before wrapping up the week with a seventh-place, 325.45-point finish off the platform. Junior Ashley Karnes placed fifth Wednesday in the finals of the 1-meter with her score of 266.90 after grabbing the top qualifying spot by scoring 275.30 points.
Purdue alum Amanda Miller also brought home a national title. Miller teamed with Indiana senior Christina Loukas to win the synchronized 3-meter title with a score of 310.80 points. Miller also competed in the individual 3-meter and scored 258.50 to finish eighth.
Friday night in Mexico City, Mexico, freshman David Boudia and Thomas Finchum competed together for the first time since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The duo, which placed fifth at last year's Summer Games, won a bronze medal in the synchronized 10-meter event at the FINA Diving World Series.
Colturi and Mitrione combined to score 108.5 points for the Purdue men's team, which outscored the Twin City Divers and Stanford to take the crown. Twin City finished second with 87 points, while Stanford's 69 points placed third. Purdue's women collected 63 points and finished behind The Woodlands Diving Academy's 109.5 and Indiana's 99.5. The Woodlands scored 152 points for second in the combined team race, while the Twin City Divers finished third with 113 points.
Derek Satterfield, Assistant Sports Information Director for Purdue University, contributed to this article.