BATON ROUGE — Three LSU women’s divers were officially named to the United States National Team on Monday, as the Lady Tigers capped off a successful 2000-01 season with top performances at the U.S. National Diving Championships.
“It was a very productive weekend for our divers,” said LSU diving coach Scott Reich. “Michelle(Coryell) and Holly (Winters) did a wonderful job in the synchronized events and Jaime (Watkins) earned her spot on the national team with a fantastic performance in the platform.”
At the Mabee Memorial Aquatic Center in Midland, Texas, LSU’s sophomore diving tandem comprised of Michelle Coryell and Holly Winters dominated the competition in the synchronized platform event by finishing first with a score of 237.51. With the victory, the pair earned a birth in the U.S. National Team and improved upon its third-place finish at the 2000 National Championships.
In the 10-meter platform event, the Lady Tigers’ Jaime Watkins became the third LSU diver to qualify for the U.S. National Team. Watkins, a junior All-American from Jacksonville, Fla., earned her spot on the national team by finishing sixth in the platform competition with a total score of 412.08.
The U.S. National Team is comprised of the top swimmers and divers in the nation and will compete in various championships around the world over the summer.
“Being a member of the national team is a huge honor,” Reich said. “We have three athletes who qualified for the team and all three of them deserve to represent the U.S. this summer. They will each gain a lot of experience and come to school in good shape next season.”