Herrera Captures National Title in 1-Meter

Herrera Captures National Title in 1-Meter

ORLANDO – Rising sophomore diver Briadam Herrera won the first national title of his budding career Tuesday night, taking first place in the 1-meter event at the 2015 AT&T USA Diving National Championships at the YMCA of Central Florida.

Herrera dominated the event with 435 points, 60.85 points ahead of silver medalist Aaron Fleshner.

Cory Bowersox was third with 356.05 points.

Herrera was consistent throughout the final, scoring no lower than 67.20 points on any of his six dives. He trailed Fleshner by 1.6 points after the first round and took the lead in round two with 76.50 points on his back 2 ½ tuck. He led for the duration of the contest, with his best marks coming in round five when he scored 81.60 points on an inward 2 ½ pike.

 “I thought I did really well. My dives felt good, and I thought I was powerful. Everything went right,” said Herrera, a Cuban native who became a U.S. citizen last year.

The performance continued a strong summer for Herrera after a dominant first year of diving with the Hurricanes.

Representing USA for the first time in his international career, Herrera earned a bronze medal at the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea in early July.

“Briadam has a huge upside. He got a lot better in his freshman year, and he’s hungry,” Ableman said after his rising star’s performance in South Korea. “I’m hungry for him to continue and make another step in his sophomore year.

 “Right now, he’s very proficient on the 1-meter, but we have a lot of work to do in the other events, particularly the 3-meter. We’ve been talking about getting him up on the platform this coming season, so it’s going to be a big year for us.”

The sophomore was an All-America in the 1-meter during his first trip to the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships this past March, posting a score of 397.85 in the finals to gain the distinction.

He also won two gold medals at the 2015 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships, taking top honors in both 1-meter (453.85) and 3-meter (400.20).

The AT&T USA Diving National Championships continue through August 13. Wednesday’s events feature men’s 3-meter and women’s 1-meter competition.