Courtesy: USA Diving
MISSION VIEJO, California – The FINA Diving Grand Prix will return to the United States for the first time in six years this week, April 11-14, 2019, at the newly renovated Marguerite Aquatics Center in Mission Viejo, California, with 25 countries competing in this week’s events.
Each year, the FINA Diving Grand Prix invites international divers to compete in a series of nine meets and provides world-class competition in countries that have a strong tradition in diving. The United States last hosted a FINA Diving Grand Prix in May 2013 at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
General All Session tickets are $60, while All Session tickets for fans under 12, seniors and military are $40. Single-day tickets are $20 for the general public. Fans under 12, seniors and military can purchase daily tickets for $10. Fans can purchase tickets online or at the Marguerite Aquatics Center. Parking for the Grand Prix can be found on Marguerite Parkway and concessions will be available on site.
USA Diving will be hosting Club Day on Friday, April 12, 2019, to celebrate diving clubs in attendance. As a part of the Opening Ceremony, Olympians will be honored on Saturday, April 13, 2019. The Opening Ceremony will begin at 11:35 am PT.
The Marguerite Aquatics Center, the home of the Mission Viejo Nadadores, officially reopened in April 2018 following an $11 million renovation which included a new dive tower with a full complement of diving platforms. In the backyard of LA 2028, USA Diving, the city of Mission Viejo and the Mission Viejo Nadadores will inspire Olympic hopefuls at the Grand Prix and beyond.
2016 Olympians
Team USA’s roster features three 2016 Olympians, Amy Cozad Magaña (Indianapolis, Ind.), Jessica Parratto (Dover, N.H./Bloomington, Ind.) and Katrina Young (Shoreline, Wash./Tallahassee, Fla.), with all three divers are aiming for a return to the Summer Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020 next summer. The women’s platform event will feature Magaña and Young, who earned first and second place at the 2018 USA Diving Winter Trials.
Parratto and Young, who both dove in last summer’s 2018 FINA Diving World Cup in Wuhan, China, will contend in the women’s platform synchro. Parratto will team up with World Cup synchro partner Tarrin Gilliland (Midland, Texas), who is also competing in the women’s platform. Young will partner with World Cup teammate Samantha “Murphy” Bromberg (Bexley, Ohio/Austin, Texas), just months after winning gold medals in the women’s platform synchro at the 2018 USA Diving Winter Trials. The Washington state native will also compete with Tyler Downs (Ballwin, Ohio) in the mixed platform, who she competed with at the FINA Diving World Series in Beijing, China last month.
Hometown Heroes
Southern California natives Mark Anderson (Lake Forest, Calif./Austin, Texas), Brandon Loschiavo (Huntington Beach, Calif./West Lafayette, Ind.), Sophie McAfee (San Marino, Calif.) and Olivia Rosendahl (Los Angeles, Calif./Evanston, Ill.) will all dive for the Stars and Stripes at the United States FINA Diving Grand Prix this week. Anderson will compete in the men’s 3-meter event, as well as in the men’s 3-meter synchro with Jordan Windle (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Austin, Texas). Loschiavo will contend in both the men’s platform and the men’s platform synchro with Windle, while McAfee will dive in the mixed platform synchro. Rosendahl will represent the Red, White and Blue in the women’s platform.
2019 NCAA Diving Champions
Three 2019 NCAA Champions will compete for Team USA in this week’s FINA Diving Grand Prix. Windle, who was crowned champion in the men’s platform at the 2019 NCAA Diving Championships, will dive in the men’s 3-meter, the men’s 3-meter synchro with Anderson and the men’s platform synchro with Loschiavo. His fellow Longhorn teammate, Bromberg, won the women’s platform title in last month’s Championships and will contend in the women’s 3-meter synchro with 2018 World Cup teammate and synchro partner Brooke Schultz (Fayetteville, Ark.). She will also compete with 2016 Olympian and 2018 World Cup teammate Young in the women’s platform synchro. Andrew Capobianco (Holly Hills, N.C./Bloomington, Ind.), the men’s 3-meter 2019 NCAA Diving Champion, will represent the Stars and Stripes in the men’s 3-meter event.
2018 World Cup Medalists
Team USA competed at the 2018 FINA Diving World Cup last spring in Wuhan, China. The team will feature two-time 2018 World Cup bronze medalist David Dinsmore (New Albany, Ohio/Miami, Fla.) in the men’s platform and 2018 World Cup bronze medalist Krysta Palmer (Carson City, Nev./Reno, Nev.) in the women’s 3-meter and women’s 3-meter synchro with Alison Gibson (Austin, Texas).
2018 Junior World Championships Medalists
The Stars and Stripes will also have two-time 2018 Junior World Championship silver medalist Hailey Hernandez (Southlake, Texas) dive in this week’s Grand Prix. The 16-year old Texas native will compete in the women’s 3-meter. Downs, who also picked up a silver medal at last summer’s Junior World Championships will compete in the men’s platform, the men’s platform synchro with Jordan Rzepka (Solon, Ohio) and the mixed platform synchro with Young.
