Indiana University
Olympic Diving Trials
Cardinell Takes Third on Platform at Olympic Diving Trials
6/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
June 22, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Indiana University alum Cassandra Cardinell kept herself in contention for an Olympic berth with a third-place finish on the platform on the final day of the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials Sunday afternoon at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.
Cardinell finished with 1059.90 points, trailing winner Laura Wilkinson (1214.50) and Haley Ishimatsu (1140.40). Former Hoosier Lindsay Weigle was ninth (805.55) and rising IU junior Amy Korthauer was 12th (599.50).
Cardinell's highest-scoring dive came in the opening round when she picked up 78.40 points. She averaged 73.60 points on her next two dives with scores of 72.00 and 75.20 before closing out the competition with scores of 69.30 and 66.30 in the fourth and fifth rounds.
While Wilkinson has cemented her spot at the Beijing games, divers who finished in places two through six, including Cardinell, will reconvene at the selection camp, July 2-6 in Knoxville, Tenn. From that camp the selection committee will select the second diver who will represent the U.S. at the Olympic Games.
Entering Friday's semifinals in fourth place, Cardinell picked up ground on her fourth dive, a back 3 1/2 somersault tuck which earned 82.50 points and was the second-highest scoring dive of the round. Her highest total of the night came on her fifth an final dive, a back 2 1/2 somersault 1 1/2 twist pike, tallying 86.70 points. Cardinell was in fifth place after Wednesday's preliminaries, tallying a score of 315.00 over five dives.
Cardinell is looking to make her second Olympic team after finished seventh in the synchronized platform competition with fellow Hoosier Sara Reiling-Hildebrand at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Indiana made it three-straight Olympic games with a female diving representative as senior Christina Loukas earned a spot in Beijing with a win on the three-meter springboard Saturday night. Sara Reiling-Hildebrand competed in 2000 and 2004, and Cardinell and Kimiko (Hirai) Soldati earned spots at the 2004 games.
Players Mentioned
