World University Games: Official FISU / Taipei 2017 / Team USA / @BoilerBall FAQ
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue All-American Emily Meaney has been selected to compete in 10-meter diving for her native Australia at the World University Games this month in Taiwan.
Meaney joins teammates Joe Cifelli (1-meter diving), Kaersten Meitz (400 and 800-meter freestyle) as well as the Purdue men's basketball team as Boilermakers slated to compete at the World University Games in Taipei. Purdue swimming & diving will have three representatives at the Summer Universiade for the first time since 2009 when divers David Colturi, Amanda Miller and Ashley Karnes competed for the USA in Belgrade, Serbia.
The women's platform diving competition begins Aug. 22, with the prelims at 10 a.m. (local time) and the semifinal later that day. The final is the following day at 4 p.m. Because Taipei is 12 hours ahead of the USA's Eastern Time Zone, Meaney's first round of competition would begin Aug. 21 at 10 p.m. ET.
Born in Hobart, Tasmania, and coming to Purdue from her home in Thornlands, Queensland, Meaney eclipsed the Boilermakers' platform diving record at the 2017 Big Ten Championships while finishing fourth. She went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships on 3-meter and platform. She placed seventh in the platform championship final at NCAAs, becoming the Purdue women's first true freshman to garner All-America honors since 2011. She was the Boilermakers' first female diver to finish among the top eight at the national championships meet as a true freshman since 2008. Lexi Vincent and Meaney made Purdue the only school with two divers in the women's platform final this past year.
Since completing her freshman year at Purdue, Meaney competed at the Australian Open and World Championships Section Trials. The weeklong national meet was held at the Sydney Aquatic Center in May. She was previously a 10-meter champion at the 2014 Australian Open and represented her country in the event at the 2016 FINA Diving World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
Featuring swimmers ages 17 to 23 who are current college students or recent graduates, the World University Games has been a springboard to international success for numerous athletes. Ten different Purdue divers have now been selected to compete at the World University Games since Adam Soldati became head coach in the spring of 2005.
Cifelli's 1-meter competition begins with prelims on Aug. 20 at 10 p.m. ET. Meitz's first event is the 800-meter freestyle on Aug. 25. Diving events are being held at the University of Taipei's Shih-hsin Hall and swimming events at the National Taiwan Sport University Arena.
PURDUE SWIM-DIVE ATHLETES AT WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES IN RECENT YEARS
2017 -- Joe Cifelli (USA), Kaersten Meitz (USA), Emily Meaney (Australia)
2015 -- Marat Amaltdinov (Russia), Nika Karlina Petric (Slovenia)
2013 -- MacKenzie Tweardy (USA)
2011 -- Danny Cox (USA)
2009 -- David Colturi (USA), Kara Cook (USA), Ashley Karnes (USA)
2007 -- Romain Maire (France), Amanda Miller (USA), Giordan Pogioli (USA), Zach Schultz (USA)
2005 -- Carrie McCambridge (USA), Giordan Pogioli (USA)