Victoria Ishimatsu (Seal Beach, Calif.) won the silver medal with 269.95 points, and Bianca Alvarez (Miami, Fla.) was third at 263.25. “I’m really excited. I’ve come so close a few times, so I’m happy I finally broke through and did what I needed to do,” said Loukas, who was second on 1-meter at the 2007 Speedo USA Diving Spring National Championships. At the 2006 Kaiser Permanente National Diving Championships, Loukas was leading after three rounds but hit the board in the fourth round and ended up in sixth place.
“Last year was definitely in the back of my mind, and I used that as motivation. I knew I had the potential,” Loukas said. “This gives me confidence heading into the rest of the week. I’ve got the first event out of the way, and I can focus on 3-meter now. I’m excited.”
Wednesday’s competition also featured men’s 3-meter quarterfinal and semifinals. Two-time Olympian Troy Dumais (Ventura, Calif.), who won bronze on the event at last week’s Pan American Games, scored 431.55 points in the semis to lead field. Jevon Tarantino (Boca Raton, Fla.) was second at 406.05, and Nick McCrory (Chapel Hill, N.C.) was third at 386.80. The top 12 divers in the semis advance to Saturday’s finals.
The Kaiser Permanente National Diving Championships run through Sunday, August 5. Thursday’s competition features women’s 10-meter quarterfinals and semifinals – including 2000 Olympic gold medalist Laura Wilkinson (Spring, Texas) and 2007 Pan Am Games silver medalist Haley Ishimatsu (Seal Beach, Calif.). Men’s 1-meter quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are also on Thursday’s schedule. Competition starts at noon each day. Saturday and Sunday’s finals will be webcast live on the AT&T blue room beginning at 11:30 Pacific time.
About USA Diving: Featuring America’s best divers, USA Diving is the national governing body for the sport of diving. Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Diving offers diversified programs geared toward the broadest number of diving enthusiasts, from the novice to the world champion. USA Diving conducts approximately 40 regional and national events annually and is responsible for training and selecting teams that represent the United States at international events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cup. For additional information please visit www.usadiving.org.
