2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's 3-meter preview  

Women’s 3-meter preview

(Women’s 3-meter preliminaries and semifinals will be Thursday, June 19. Finals are June 21)

Women’s 3-meter is by far the deepest event for the United States, and any number of women could emerge as the winner on any given day.

With scores carrying over from the preliminaries to the semifinals and to the finals, consistency will be a key factor in an event that has seen four different women win a national title since 2005.

Most recently, Nancilea Foster (Conroe, Texas) won the 2008 Speedo USA Diving Spring National Championships, successfully defending her 2007 spring title. Other national champions include Kelci Bryant (Chatham, Ill./Carmel, Ind.) in 2005, Allison Brennan (Huntington Beach, Calif./Columbia, S.C.) in 2006 and Cassidy Krug (Pittsburgh, Pa./Stanford) in the summer of 2007.

And then there’s Christina Loukas (Riverwoods, Ill.). She’s yet to win a national title on 3-meter (she’s finished second twice), but she led the U.S. with a fourth-place finish at the 2008 World Cup in Beijing, where she was less than half a point off the medal stand.

Foster was sixth at the 2007 World Championships. Bryant was 10 th at the World Championships and 12 th at the World Cup.

Brennan was the top U.S. finisher at last month’s AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix, where she finished fourth.

And don’t count out the rest of the field, which includes Summer Allman (Troy, Mich./Dallas, Texas), Michelle Cabassol (Montgomery, Texas), Chelsea Davis (Columbus, Ohio), Victoria Ishimatsu (Seal Beach, Calif./Indianapolis, Ind.), Abby Johnston (Columbus, Ohio/Durham, N.C.), Amanda Miller (Centreville, Va./West Lafayette, Ind.), Ariel Rittenhouse (Santa Cruz, Calif./Indianapolis, Ind.), and Mary Yarrison (Springfield, Va./Austin, Texas/Longhorn Aquatics). Bianca Alvarez (Miami, Fla./Columbus, Ohio) also qualified but has withdrawn due to injury.

The winner of the Trials will be nominated to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. The top six finishers will move on to an Olympic team selection camp, set for July 2-6 in Knoxville, Tenn., where the second individual spot will be decided. The winner must also participate in the camp to demonstrate competitive readiness.

Women’s 3-meter (Hometown/Current Residence/Club)
Summer Allman (Troy, Mich./Dallas, Texas/Mustangs in the Sun)
Allison Brennan (Huntington Beach, Calif./Columbia, S.C./South Carolina Divers)
Kelci Bryant (Chatham, Ill./Carmel, Ind./Unattached)
Michelle Cabassol (Montgomery, Texas/Woodlands Diving Academy)
Chelsea Davis (Columbus, Ohio/ Unattached)
Nancilea Foster (Conroe, Texas/Woodlands Diving Academy)
Victoria Ishimatsu (Seal Beach, Calif./Indianapolis, Ind./Unattached)
Abby Johnston (Columbus, Ohio/Durham, N.C./Duke Aquatics)
Cassidy Krug (Pittsburgh, Pa./The Woodlands, Texas/Stanford Dive Club)
Christina Loukas (Riverwoods, Ill/Bloomington, Ind./Indiana Diving)
Amanda Miller (Centreville, Va./West Lafayette, Ind./Boilermaker Diving Academy)
Ariel Rittenhouse (Santa Cruz, Calif./Indianapolis, Ind./Unattached)
Mary Yarrison (Springfield, Va./Austin, Texas/Longhorn Aquatics)

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