USA Diving Winter Nationals: Tyler Downs Sweeps Springboard Events

2020 Olympian, Tyler Downs earned his third National Title of the event after winning the 1-Meter Springboard Final at USA Diving Winter Nationals. Downs, who became the first to sweep the Men’s Springboard events since it’s inception in 2010, found himself once again competing against Olympic teammate Andrew Capobianco for the top spot on the podium. Downs went into the final round after prelims with a 16-point lead over Capobianco. He sealed his victory during his second and fourth dives, a Forward 3 1/2 Somersault Tuck and a Reverse 2 1/2 Somersault Tuck, scoring 9’s and 9.5’s on both for scores of 81.

He ended the competition nearly 26 points ahead of Capobianco. Both Downs and Capobianco will compete in the Men’s 3-Meter at the upcoming World Championships with Downs also competing in the Synchronized 3-Meter alongside synchro partner and Purdue teammate Greg Duncan. Although his win qualified him to compete in the 1-Meter event at the World Championships, Downs has opted to decline his spot in the 1-Meter event to focus on the 3-Meter events in Japan. Fellow Boilermaker, Jordan Rzepka, who hit four 70-point dives to propel himself from 6th entering finals into third, rounded out the Men’s podium for the event and will compete in the World Championships in Downs’ place.

Daryn Wright (Indiana International School of Diving) earned her trip to the World Championships after making a phenomenal comeback in the Women’s 10-Meter Platform. The high school senior who will attend Purdue in the fall started the final round in sixth place, 21 points behind Irish Diver Ciara Mcging who competes for Ohio State University. Wright nailed her third dive, an Inward 3 1/2 Somersault Tuck for 81 points rocketing herself to the first place position. Wright ended the day 12 point’s ahead of future Purdue teammate Maycey Vieta who placed second. Earlier this fall, Wright won gold in both the Girl’s A 1-Meter and 10-Meter events as well as silver in the 3-Meter at the 2021 UANA Junior Pan American Championships in Tucson, Ariz.

Vieta, who has dual citizenship in both the U.S. and Puerto Rico earned the silver medal but was not eligible for the U.S. World Championships team after representing Puerto Rico in the 2021 FINA World Cup last May. Maggie Merriman, also a Boilermaker, rounded out the podium and earned the final spot on the roster for the 2022 FINA World Championships.

A total of 17 athletes will travel to Japan to represent USA Diving at the 2022 FINA World Championships as we see a mix of with international success including Olympic Silver Medalists Andrew Capobianco and Delaney Schnell, Olympians Hailey Hernandez and Tyler Downs, and World Cup Silver Medalist Sarah Bacon, as well as emerging athletes including 14-year-old Joshua Hedberg and the first Black American diver to be named to a Senior World Championships team, Kristen Hayden.

The 2022 World Aquatics Championships, the 19th edition of the FINA World Aquatics Championships, will be held in Fukuoka, Japan, from 13–29 May 2022. It will be the second time Fukuoka hosts this meet, 21 years after the 2001 World Aquatics Championships. The World Championships takes place every other year and brings together the six aquatic sports that FINA oversees, Diving, High Diving, Swimming, Artistic Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water Swimming. To learn more about Fukuoka 2022, visit: https://www.fina-fukuoka2022.org/en/

Kristen Hayden

Quinn Henninger

Carson Tyler (Indiana)

Tarrin Gilliland (Indiana)

Delaney Schnell (Arizona)

Hailey Hernandez (Texas)

Greg Duncan (Purdue)

Tyler Downs (Purdue)

Delaney Schnell (Arizona)

Tarrin Gilliland (Indiana)

Max Flory (Miami)

Zach Cooper (Miami)

Sarah Bacon (Minnesota)

Brooke Schultz

Andrew Capobianco (Indiana)

Jordan Rzepka (Purdue)

Hailey Hernandez (Texas)

Sarah Bacon (Minnesota)

Tyler Downs (Purdue)

Andrew Capobianco (Indiana)

Zach Cooper (Miami)

Joshua Hedberg (IISD)

Daryn Wright (IISD)

Maggie Merriman (Purdue)

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USA Diving Men’s 1-Meter Individual

1.         Tyler Downs                 (PUR)              811.25

2.         Andrew Capobianco      (JDA)               785.45

3.         Jordan Rzepka (PUR)              735.00

4.         Gregory Duncan           (PUR)              724.05

5.         Quentin Henninger        (JDA)               718.00

6.         Lyle Yost                    (U)                 689.20

7.         Noah Duperre               (TEX)              684.60

8.         Jack Ryan                     (U)                   667.30

9.         Jacob Fielding              (U)                 663.30

10.       Joseph Canova (U)                   655.00

11.       Jack Matthews (U)                   654.60

12.       Nicholas Harris             (TNT)              628.80

1.         Daryn Wright                IISD                 605.55

2.         Maycey Vieta               PUR                 593.40

3.         Ciara Mcging                U                    583.70

4.         Maggie Merriman         PUR                 573.15

5.         Janie Boyle                   TEX                 561.30

6.         Nike Agunbiade            USC                 556.45

7.         Savana Trueb                U                    547.25

8.         Jordan Skilken              TEX                 544.60

9.         Abigail Knapton          U                    542.55

10.       Aliyah Watson  U                    529.05

11.       Markie Hopkins MVN               518.15

12.       Savannah Stocker          USC                 499.45

13.       Kaylee Bishop              CORA              459.85

14.       Anna Lemkin                MVN               452.95

Complete results for all events at the 2021 USA Diving Winter National Championships: here

— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with USA Diving. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.