Brandon’s Colwill wins USA Diving Winter Nationals

Posted Dec 19, 2011 by Bill Ward

Updated Dec 19, 2011 at 11:33 PM

Brandon’s Chris Colwill, a Tampa Prep graduate and 2008 Olympian, captured first place in the men’s 3-meter springboard at Monday’s USA Diving Winter Nationals meet in Knoxville, Tenn., by just two tenths of a point.

Diving three rounds of six dives each, Colwill won the event on his last dive - a difficult reverse 3-1/2 somersault tuck—to garner a final total score of 1,1516.75 points, just .2 ahead of runner-up Kristian Ipsen of Clayton, Calif.

“It was a little nerve-wracking. I was a little more aggressive in the prelims and started to get a little more cautious at the end, but I finished my last two dives strong,” Colwill said. “There’s no doubt there are a lot of great athletes in this event, and it’s gotten a lot tougher the last two years. I’m so glad I could be involved in the thrill of this competition.”

The victory, Colwill’s 10th national title, qualified him for next year’s FINA Diving World Cup, Feb. 20-26 in the same aquatics center as the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Colwill also finished second in 3-meter synchronized with dive partner Drew Livingston, which qualifies him for the AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix, May 10-13 in Ft. Lauderdale.