Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Make Splash at FINA/USA Diving Grand Prix
5/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
May 9, 2002
Former Hoosier Wins Bronze; Hoosier Divers Advance to Finals at 2002 Speedo FINA/USA Diving Grand Prix
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.-- Six-time Big Ten Conference Diving Coach of the Year and Indiana Diving Head Coach Dr. Jeff Huber added two more honors to his trophy case as his United States squad walked away with two bronze medals on the first day of the 2002 Speedo FINA/USA Diving Grand Prix.
The four-time Mike Peppe Award winner for Outstanding Senior Coach was selected in late April as the Head Coach for Team USA for the event that is being held at the Coral Springs Aquatic Center in Coral Springs, Fla.
Kimiko Soldati, a 1998 Indiana University graduate, paired with Laura Wilkinson in the women's synchronized platform and earned a bronze medal. Wilkinson, the 2000 Olympic Games gold medalist on platform, and Soldati, the 2001 Goodwill Games bronze medalist on 3-meter, finished with a score of 270.48. China took top honors with Li Ting and Lishi Lao scoring 312.78 points. Japan's Takiri Miyazaki and Emi Otsuki scored 281.58 for the silver.
Indiana was also represented by Sara Reiling (St. Paul, Minn.) on 3-meter, platform and synchronized platform; Erin Quinn (Toledo, Ohio) on 3-meter; and Cassandra Cardinell (Loudonville, N.Y.) on platform.
Reiling and Cardinell competed as an exhibition team for the U.S. and placed in the top 12 during the preliminaries to reach Saturday's final. Cardinell finished sixth in the platform preliminary with a score of 276.15. Reiling placed 10th with 262.62, while Soldati failed to reach the finals, placing 16th with 229.20.
The men's synchronized 3-meter team of 2000 Olympian Troy Dumais and Justin Dumais, both of Ventura, Calif. and the University of Texas, took third with 287.97 points. China's Feng Wang and Tianling Wang garnered the gold with a score of 340.89. Dmitri Baibakov and Dmitry Sautin of Russia came in second with 320.58 points.
Huber and the U.S. will take to the pool Friday with women's 3-meter preliminaries at 10 a.m. and men's platform preliminaries at 2 p.m. Beginning at 5 p.m. will be the women's synchronized 3-meter final, with the men's synchronized platform final immediately following.
Huber, known worldwide for his contributions to the sport of diving, has led Indiana diving to eight consecutive U.S. Diving National Championships and, in 2002, led Indiana women's swimming and diving to its best-ever finish at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships.
