Women's NCAA Div. I Champs, Day 3 Finals: Indiana's Cardinell Comes from Behind to Win 10-meter Platform Diving -- March 19, 2005

By Jason Marsteller

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., March 19. INDIANA University senior Cassandra Cardinell went out on top for the Hoosiers after an incredible five-dive journey on the platform at the 2005 NCAA Championships.

The 2004 Olympian entered the evening’s competition with the second-most carry-over points from the afternoon’s preliminaries, but immediately put herself in a hole with a rough entry on her first dive.

Cardinell continually moved up the leaderboard and closed out her title hunt by nailing her last dive for a final total of 501.45 points.

Cardinell became IU’s first champion since Kimiko Hirai claimed the one-meter crown in 1996. She also became the first non-one-meter champion as IU’s only other national titles came in AIAW one-meter triumphs by Amy McGrath (1980) and Lona Foss (1982).