USA Diving has selected the divers who will compete at the 2009 FINA World Diving Championships, scheduled for Rome on July 18-25, 2009.
The team includes six Olympians who competed in Beijing this past year, and three relative newcomers to international competition in Brittany Viola, Nick McCrory and Terry Horner.
Out of this group only two divers have medaled in individual international competition in either the world championships, FINA World Cup, or Olympic Games – those being David Boudia and Troy Dumais. Dumais was selected to the team despite not finishing the selection camp after hitting his head on the diving board during the competition, but has far and away the most experience of any of the divers who will compete in Italy.
One notable absence in the individual events is Thomas Finchum who was left off in favor of Nick McCrory, a seventeen-year-old from Chapel Hill, N.C. McCrory finished fifth at the 2008 Olympic Trials and won his first national title on platform this past summer.
It is likely that Finchum will be added to the team in synchronized platform. He and Boudia have had the most success of any U.S. divers in international competition over the past four years, and the pair finished fifth at the 2008 Olympic Games in synchro.
Viola, who will compete on platform and one-meter springboard, has the most experience of any of the non-Olympians, having competed at the 2003 World Championships in synchronized platform, finishing fourth. She finished fifth at the 2008 Olympic Trials on platform and won platform at 2008 NCCA Championships.
Horner, currently a junior at Florida State University, will compete in his first world championships. He is the reigning NCAA champion in that event.The remainder of the team – those who will compete in synchronized diving, will be selected at a camp in May following the AT&T FINA Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale.
2009 World Championship Team - Individual Events
Women’s One-meter
Christina Loukas (Riverwoods, Ill.)
Brittany Viola (Orlando, Fla.)
Women’s Three-meter
Christina Loukas (Riverwoods, Ill.)
Ariel Rittenhouse (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
Women’s Platform
Haley Ishimatsu (Seal Beach, Calif.)
Brittany Viola (Orlando, Fla.)
Men’s One-meter
Chris Colwill (Brandon, Fla.)
Terry Horner (Longwood, Fla.)
Men’s Three-meter
Troy Dumais (Ventura, Calif.)
Chris Colwill (Brandon, Fla.)
Men’s Platform
David Boudia (Noblesville, Ind.)
Nick McCrory (Chapel Hill, N.C.)