U.S. Names Junior Pan American Diving Championships Squad

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, October 16. TWENTY-four of the United States' top junior divers will be headed to Puerto Rico for the Junior Pan American Diving Championships, to be held Nov. 1-4 in San Juan. Divers were selected based on results at the 2007 Speedo Junior National Championships.

The team features two gold medalists and four other medalists from the 2005 Junior Pan Am Championships.

Kristian Ipsen (Clayton, Calif.) won gold on 1-meter and platform and added a silver on 3-meter in 2005. A year later, he won gold on 1-meter and bronze on 3-meter at the FINA Junior World Championships. Ipsen swept the 14-15 age group at the 2007 junior nationals, giving him 11 career junior national titles after winning the three 2007 titles by an average of 87 points. Ipsen also placed eighth on 3-meter at the 2007 Kaiser Permanente National Championships, making him the youngest male diver to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Diving so far.

Kassidy Cook (The Woodlands, Texas) swept her age group at the 2005 Junior Pan Am Championships, winning gold on 1-meter, 3-meter and platform. She will go for more gold on 1-meter and 3-meter in her new age group after winning both those events in the 12-13 division at the 2007 junior nationals.

Other 2005 medalists on the 2007 team include two of Cook's Woodlands Diving Academy teammates. Kaylea Arnett (Spring, Texas) won bronze on 3-meter and platform two years ago and will dive all three events this year. She won 1-meter and was second on both 3-meter and platform at the 2007 junior nationals. Drew Livingston (The Woodlands, Texas) won silver on platform and bronze on 3-meter in 2005 and has qualified for those same events in 2007 after winning 3-meter and taking second on platform at junior nationals.

Abby Johnston (Durham, N.C.) and Wallace Layland (Orlando, Fla.) round out the returning medalists. Johnston won silver on 3-meter and bronze on 1-meter, and Layland earned bronze on platform in 2005. Johnston and Layland both have qualified on 1-meter and 3-meter for the Junior Pan Ams.

Andrew Cramer (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Connor Kuremsky (Wexford, Pa.) also competed in 2005.

2007 USA Diving Junior Pan American Diving Championships Roster

Boys
Group A
Ryan Helms (Moultrie, Ga.)
Harrison Jones (Spring, Texas)
Drew Livingston (The Woodlands, Texas)

Group B
David Bonuchi (Columbia, Mo.)
Kristian Ipsen (Clayton, Calif.)
Connor Kuremsky (Wexford, Pa.)

Group C
Bradley Christensen (Southlake, Texas)
Andrew Cramer (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Michael Hixon (Amherst, Mass.)

Group D
Joseph Dowd (Orlando, Fla.)
Dashiell Enos (Studio City, Calif.)
Steele Johnson (Carmel, Ind.)

Girls
Group A
Vennie Dantin (Conroe, Texas)
Victoria Ishimatsu (Seal Beach, Calif.)
Abby Johnston (Durham, N.C.)

Group B
Kaylea Arnett (Spring, Texas)
Michelle Cabassol (Montgomery, Texas)
Loren Figueroa (Kingwood, Texas)

Group C
Kassidy Cook (The Woodlands, Texas)
Lillian Hinrichs (Lincoln, Neb.)
Annika Lenz (Altadena, Calif.)

Group D
Sarah Bacon (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Wallace Layland (Orlando, Fla.)
Olivia Rosendahl (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Special thanks to USA Diving for contributing this report.

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