WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – With nearly equal representation among alumni, current Boilermakers and incoming student-athletes, Purdue is slated to be represented by 10 Boilermakers at diving's U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which is being contested June 6 to 13 in Indianapolis.
Purdue divers competing for Olympic berths includes: David Boudia, Greg Duncan, Steele Johnson and Brandon Loschiavo representing the alumni; Ben Bramley, Emily Bretscher and Maggie Merriman representing the current Boilermakers; and Tyler Downs, Sophie McAfee and Jordan Rzepka representing the incoming student-athletes.
As Olympic medalists, Boudia and Johnson headline the Boilermakers competing at the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI, which also hosted the Olympic Team Trials in 2008 and 2016. Indianapolis was also the host for diving from 1984 to 1996.
The Olympic Channel, NBC and the NBC Sports app are offering the live video coverage for selected semifinals and finals.
The competition to make the U.S. Olympic Team this year will be as fierce as ever. Scores are cumulative over three full rounds of competition – preliminary, semifinal, final – at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. For the individual events, the top 18 advance to the semifinal and top 12 move on to the final. The top two finishers in the individual events make the team. Each country can only enter one synchronized team at the Olympics and the U.S. did not qualify in 10-meter synchro this year.
BOUDIA & JOHNSON BACK FOR MORE IN NEW EVENTS
• David Boudia is seeking a rare fourth Olympic bid to go along with his gold medal on 10-meter in 2012. Troy Dumais (2000-12) was the last American diver to be a four-time Olympian and was a teammate of Boudia's at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Four-time gold medalist Greg Louganis (1976, 1984-88) would have been a four-time Olympian if not for the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Laura Wilkinson (2000-08) is also seeking her fourth Olympic berth this year, returning to active competition in 2017.
• Boudia and Steele Johnson have switched events, moving to the 3-meter springboard, since winning Team USA a pair of medals on 10-meter at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. They were silver medalists together in 10-meter synchro and Boudia won bronze individually on the tower five years ago. Johnson also was an Olympian individually on 10-meter.
MORE ABOUT SYNCHRO
• With only five teams entered for men's 3-meter synchro, Purdue accounts for three of the 10 competitors in the event. Greg Duncan is competing with Grayson Campbell, a fellow Virginia native and Big 12 Conference champion at the University of Texas. They last competed together at the USA Diving Winter National Championships in December 2019.
• Indianapolis will be the site of a potential Indiana vs. Purdue showdown for only three total men's 3-meter berths on Team USA. Among the top competition for David Boudia and Steele Johnson will come from IU alumnus Michael Hixon and current Hoosier Andrew Capobianco. They represented USA Diving in 3-meter synchro at the FINA Diving World Cup in May, clinching the Olympic quota berth for the U.S. in the process. Hixon was an Olympian in both 3-meter events in 2016. Capobianco has won the last two NCAA titles on 3-meter.
TOP 5 CONTENDERS ON THE TOWER?
• Meanwhile on 10-meter, Ben Bramley, Brandon Loschiavo and Jordan Rzpeka are projected among the top contenders along with David Dinsmore and Jordan Windle. Only 15 divers are entered in the event this year. All five divers are pursuing their first career Olympic bids. Windle is also a contender on 3-meter. Loschiavo and Bramley finished 1-2 in the event at the NCAA Championships in March, but Windle was the favorite entering the night after winning the prelim with a score that also would have won the final if he had been able to duplicate it.
SUCCESS SINCE RIO
• David Boudia was victorious on 3-meter at USA Diving's national meets in December 2018 and May 2019. He also teamed with Steele Johnson to win the 3-meter synchro event at the 2019 Winter National Championships, besting Michael Hixon and Andrew Capobianco by 3.5 points. Johnson has not competed individually on 3-meter at a USA Diving meet since the Senior National Championships in May 2018. He had won the NCAA title in the event two months earlier.
• Emily Bretscher (3-meter) and Maggie Merriman (10-meter) were both All-Americans in their top events at the NCAA Championships in March. They teamed with Maycey Vieta to five the Purdue women the most diving points at the national championship meet this year.
BOILERMAKERS COMPETING AT U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS IN INDIANAPOLIS
• David Boudia – 3-Meter, 3-Meter Synchro (with Steele Johnson)
• Ben Bramley – 10-Meter
• Emily Bretscher – 3-Meter
• Tyler Downs – 3-Meter, 10-Meter
• Greg Duncan – 3-Meter, 3-Meter Synchro (with Grayson Campbell)
• Steele Johnson – 3-Meter, 3-Meter Synchro (with David Boudia); Announced June 8 he was was withdrawing due to injury
• Brandon Loschiavo – 10-Meter
• Sophie McAfee – 10-Meter
• Maggie Merriman – 10-Meter
• Jordan Rzepka – 10-Meter
Downs, McAfee and Rzepka are incoming Boilermakers enrolling this fall
PURDUE'S SCHEDULE
All Times Eastern; Schedule will be updated as Boilermakers advance
Monday, June 7
• Men's 3-Meter Synchro Prelim at 11 a.m. – Greg Duncan (388.44, 2nd of 5), David Boudia & Steele Johnson (388.11, 3rd)
• Men's 3-Meter Synchro Semifinal at 7 p.m. – Greg Duncan (784.89, 2nd of 5), David Boudia & Steele Johnson (784.26, 3rd)
Tuesday, June 8 (Semifinals Live on Olympic Channel, NBC Sports App)
• Women's 3-Meter Prelim at 10 a.m. – Emily Bretscher (247.65, 14th of 26)
• Men's 10-Meter Prelim at 12:45 p.m. – Brandon Loschiavo (486.35, 1st of 13), Jordan Rzepka (388.30, 6th), Tyler Downs (380.10, 8th), Ben Bramley (331.20, 12th)
• Women's 3-Meter Semifinal at 7 p.m. – Emily Bretscher (495.35, 15th of 18)
• Men's 10-Meter Semifinal at 8:45 p.m. – Brandon Loschiavo (956.60, 1st of 13), Jordan Rzepka (801.05, 5th), Tyler Downs (764.85, 7th), Ben Bramley (678.40, 12th)
Wednesday, June 9 (Semifinals Live on Olympic Channel, NBC Sports App)
• Men's 3-Meter Prelim at 10 a.m. – David Boudia (434.50, 1st of 34), Tyler Downs (423.05, 2nd), Greg Duncan (369.45, 10th), Steele Johnson
• Women's 10-Meter Prelim at 1:30 p.m. – Maggie Merriman (253.30, 11th of 26), Sophie McAfee (253.00, 12th)
• Men's 3-Meter Semifinal at 7 p.m. – David Boudia (889.70, 1st of 18), Tyler Downs (869.90, 4th), Greg Duncan (658.20, 18th)
• Women's 10-Meter Semifinal at 9:05 p.m. – Maggie Merriman (508.35, 12th of 18), Sophie McAfee (463.00, 16th)
Friday, June 11 (Live on NBC Sports Network, NBC Sports App)
• Men's 3-Meter Synchro Final at 7 p.m. – Greg Duncan (1168.80, 2nd of 4), David Boudia & Steele Johnson
Saturday, June 12 (Live on NBC, NBC Sports App)
• Men's 10-Meter Final at 7:35 p.m. -- Brandon Loschiavo (1421, 1st of 12), Tyler Downs (1207.30, 5th), Jordan Rzepka (1127.40, 8th), Ben Bramley (1066, 12th)
Sunday, June 13 (Live on NBC, NBC Sports App)
• Men's 3-Meter Final at 6:35 p.m. – Tyler Downs (1333.75, 1st of 12), David Boudia (1314.95, 3rd)
• Women's 10-Meter Final at 8:50 p.m. – Maggie Merriman (783, 11th of 12)
Purdue divers competing for Olympic berths includes: David Boudia, Greg Duncan, Steele Johnson and Brandon Loschiavo representing the alumni; Ben Bramley, Emily Bretscher and Maggie Merriman representing the current Boilermakers; and Tyler Downs, Sophie McAfee and Jordan Rzepka representing the incoming student-athletes.
As Olympic medalists, Boudia and Johnson headline the Boilermakers competing at the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI, which also hosted the Olympic Team Trials in 2008 and 2016. Indianapolis was also the host for diving from 1984 to 1996.
The Olympic Channel, NBC and the NBC Sports app are offering the live video coverage for selected semifinals and finals.
The competition to make the U.S. Olympic Team this year will be as fierce as ever. Scores are cumulative over three full rounds of competition – preliminary, semifinal, final – at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. For the individual events, the top 18 advance to the semifinal and top 12 move on to the final. The top two finishers in the individual events make the team. Each country can only enter one synchronized team at the Olympics and the U.S. did not qualify in 10-meter synchro this year.
BOUDIA & JOHNSON BACK FOR MORE IN NEW EVENTS
• David Boudia is seeking a rare fourth Olympic bid to go along with his gold medal on 10-meter in 2012. Troy Dumais (2000-12) was the last American diver to be a four-time Olympian and was a teammate of Boudia's at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Four-time gold medalist Greg Louganis (1976, 1984-88) would have been a four-time Olympian if not for the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Laura Wilkinson (2000-08) is also seeking her fourth Olympic berth this year, returning to active competition in 2017.
• Boudia and Steele Johnson have switched events, moving to the 3-meter springboard, since winning Team USA a pair of medals on 10-meter at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. They were silver medalists together in 10-meter synchro and Boudia won bronze individually on the tower five years ago. Johnson also was an Olympian individually on 10-meter.
MORE ABOUT SYNCHRO
• With only five teams entered for men's 3-meter synchro, Purdue accounts for three of the 10 competitors in the event. Greg Duncan is competing with Grayson Campbell, a fellow Virginia native and Big 12 Conference champion at the University of Texas. They last competed together at the USA Diving Winter National Championships in December 2019.
• Indianapolis will be the site of a potential Indiana vs. Purdue showdown for only three total men's 3-meter berths on Team USA. Among the top competition for David Boudia and Steele Johnson will come from IU alumnus Michael Hixon and current Hoosier Andrew Capobianco. They represented USA Diving in 3-meter synchro at the FINA Diving World Cup in May, clinching the Olympic quota berth for the U.S. in the process. Hixon was an Olympian in both 3-meter events in 2016. Capobianco has won the last two NCAA titles on 3-meter.
TOP 5 CONTENDERS ON THE TOWER?
• Meanwhile on 10-meter, Ben Bramley, Brandon Loschiavo and Jordan Rzpeka are projected among the top contenders along with David Dinsmore and Jordan Windle. Only 15 divers are entered in the event this year. All five divers are pursuing their first career Olympic bids. Windle is also a contender on 3-meter. Loschiavo and Bramley finished 1-2 in the event at the NCAA Championships in March, but Windle was the favorite entering the night after winning the prelim with a score that also would have won the final if he had been able to duplicate it.
SUCCESS SINCE RIO
• David Boudia was victorious on 3-meter at USA Diving's national meets in December 2018 and May 2019. He also teamed with Steele Johnson to win the 3-meter synchro event at the 2019 Winter National Championships, besting Michael Hixon and Andrew Capobianco by 3.5 points. Johnson has not competed individually on 3-meter at a USA Diving meet since the Senior National Championships in May 2018. He had won the NCAA title in the event two months earlier.
• Emily Bretscher (3-meter) and Maggie Merriman (10-meter) were both All-Americans in their top events at the NCAA Championships in March. They teamed with Maycey Vieta to five the Purdue women the most diving points at the national championship meet this year.
BOILERMAKERS COMPETING AT U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS IN INDIANAPOLIS
• David Boudia – 3-Meter, 3-Meter Synchro (with Steele Johnson)
• Ben Bramley – 10-Meter
• Emily Bretscher – 3-Meter
• Tyler Downs – 3-Meter, 10-Meter
• Greg Duncan – 3-Meter, 3-Meter Synchro (with Grayson Campbell)
• Steele Johnson – 3-Meter, 3-Meter Synchro (with David Boudia); Announced June 8 he was was withdrawing due to injury
• Brandon Loschiavo – 10-Meter
• Sophie McAfee – 10-Meter
• Maggie Merriman – 10-Meter
• Jordan Rzepka – 10-Meter
Downs, McAfee and Rzepka are incoming Boilermakers enrolling this fall
PURDUE'S SCHEDULE
All Times Eastern; Schedule will be updated as Boilermakers advance
Monday, June 7
• Men's 3-Meter Synchro Prelim at 11 a.m. – Greg Duncan (388.44, 2nd of 5), David Boudia & Steele Johnson (388.11, 3rd)
• Men's 3-Meter Synchro Semifinal at 7 p.m. – Greg Duncan (784.89, 2nd of 5), David Boudia & Steele Johnson (784.26, 3rd)
Tuesday, June 8 (Semifinals Live on Olympic Channel, NBC Sports App)
• Women's 3-Meter Prelim at 10 a.m. – Emily Bretscher (247.65, 14th of 26)
• Men's 10-Meter Prelim at 12:45 p.m. – Brandon Loschiavo (486.35, 1st of 13), Jordan Rzepka (388.30, 6th), Tyler Downs (380.10, 8th), Ben Bramley (331.20, 12th)
• Women's 3-Meter Semifinal at 7 p.m. – Emily Bretscher (495.35, 15th of 18)
• Men's 10-Meter Semifinal at 8:45 p.m. – Brandon Loschiavo (956.60, 1st of 13), Jordan Rzepka (801.05, 5th), Tyler Downs (764.85, 7th), Ben Bramley (678.40, 12th)
Wednesday, June 9 (Semifinals Live on Olympic Channel, NBC Sports App)
• Men's 3-Meter Prelim at 10 a.m. – David Boudia (434.50, 1st of 34), Tyler Downs (423.05, 2nd), Greg Duncan (369.45, 10th), Steele Johnson
• Women's 10-Meter Prelim at 1:30 p.m. – Maggie Merriman (253.30, 11th of 26), Sophie McAfee (253.00, 12th)
• Men's 3-Meter Semifinal at 7 p.m. – David Boudia (889.70, 1st of 18), Tyler Downs (869.90, 4th), Greg Duncan (658.20, 18th)
• Women's 10-Meter Semifinal at 9:05 p.m. – Maggie Merriman (508.35, 12th of 18), Sophie McAfee (463.00, 16th)
Friday, June 11 (Live on NBC Sports Network, NBC Sports App)
• Men's 3-Meter Synchro Final at 7 p.m. – Greg Duncan (1168.80, 2nd of 4), David Boudia & Steele Johnson
Saturday, June 12 (Live on NBC, NBC Sports App)
• Men's 10-Meter Final at 7:35 p.m. -- Brandon Loschiavo (1421, 1st of 12), Tyler Downs (1207.30, 5th), Jordan Rzepka (1127.40, 8th), Ben Bramley (1066, 12th)
Sunday, June 13 (Live on NBC, NBC Sports App)
• Men's 3-Meter Final at 6:35 p.m. – Tyler Downs (1333.75, 1st of 12), David Boudia (1314.95, 3rd)
• Women's 10-Meter Final at 8:50 p.m. – Maggie Merriman (783, 11th of 12)