MIDLAND, Texas – Purdue’s Jordan Rzepka and Avery Worobel medaled at the USA Diving Winter Nationals again with Rzepka’s gold medal performance on 10-meter making him a medalist at the annual end-of-the-year showcase for a fifth consecutive year.
Rzepka won by 86 points in the cumulative scoring over the two lists of competition across the preliminary and final. He finished the day with a combined total of 866.45, highlighted by a list score of 449.95 in the final. Rzepka was also the 10-meter champion at the 2022 USA Diving Winter Nationals. He won silver last year.
Worobel won silver on a springboard at Winter Nationals for the second year in a row, medaling on 1-meter Saturday after winning silver on 3-meter in 2024. She posted a combined total of 494.05, improving on her list score by 15 points in the final (254.70).
The Purdue Divers have medaled at Winter Nationals every year the meet has been held since 2010, claiming more than 80 medals overall.
Freshman Nathaniel Grannis was a finalist Friday and Saturday, demonstrating his versatility with top-12 finishes on 3-meter (12th) and 10-meter (7th). Alumna Sophie McAfee placed fourth on 10-meter Friday, finishing top five in the event at Winter Nationals for the fourth consecutive year.
Rzepka was also the Big Ten champion on platform in February in his final collegiate season. Saturday’s 10-meter field at Winter Nationals also featured the 2025 NCAA champion (Carson Tyler) and 2025 USA Diving National Championships winner (Joshua Hedberg, the defending champ at Winter Nationals) in the event. Tyler and Hedberg finished 3-4 on Saturday and Rzepka bested both by over 100 points. Drew Bennett, a senior at the University of Minnesota this season, won silver on 10-meter Saturday.
Rzepka won the prelim Saturday by 37 points. For the day, he accounted for six dives – three in each list – that produced scores that ranked among the top two in their respective rounds. He capped his day with his highest score of the competition – a 95 on a forward 2 ½ 3-twist pike. He only missed one dive among his 12 total.
Worobel finished fourth among the 14 divers competing in the 1-meter final Saturday. However, with a pair of international divers – Tennessee’s Deshame Bent-Ashmil (England) and Miami’s Emma Gullstrand (Sweden) – finishing among the top 3, Americans Worobel and Emma Rhines (Tennessee) joined event champion Margo O’Meara (Miami) on the podium.
Worobel regrouped after a slow start to the prelim, producing scores that ranked among the top six in the field on seven of her final eight dives of the day. She executed the top-scoring dive in round 2 of the final (58.5 on a forward 2 ½ pike).
Rzepka earned the opportunity to represent USA Diving on 10-meter at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup 2026. Events are set for Montreal, Guadalajara and Beijing from late February through early May.
The USA Diving Winter Nationals continue through Tuesday at the COM Aquatics Center.
PURDUE’S DAILY ENTRIES & SCHEDULES AT WINTER NATIONALS
All Times Converted to Eastern
Friday, Dec. 12
• Women’s 10-Meter // Prelim at Noon, Final at 5:30 p.m. – Sophie McAfee (4th, 545.30 – 267.80 Final, 277.50 Prelim)
• Men’s 3-Meter // Prelim at Noon, Final at 7 p.m. – Nathaniel Grannis (12th, 681.90 – 316.20 Final, 365.70 Prelim), Zach Welsh (309.65, 23rd in Prelim), Holden Higbie (276.65, 34th in Prelim), Max Miller
Saturday, Dec. 13
• Women’s 1-Meter // Prelim at Noon, Final at 6 p.m. – Avery Worobel (Silver Medalist, 494.05 – 254.70 Final, 239.35 Prelim)
• Men’s 10-Meter // Prelim at Noon, Final at 7:20 p.m. – Jordan Rzepka (Gold Medalist, 866.45 – 449.95 Final, 416.50 Prelim), Nathaniel Grannis (7th, 680.80 – 359.75 Final, 321.05 Prelim), Tyler Wills
Sunday, Dec. 14
• Women’s 3-Meter // Prelim at Noon, Final at 6 p.m. – Amelia Rinehart, Avery Worobel
• Men’s 1-Meter // Prelim at Noon, Final at 7:25 p.m. – Nathaniel Grannis, Holden Higbie, Zach Welsh, Tyler Wills, Max Miller
Monday, Dec. 15
• Men’s 3-Meter Synchro // Prelims at 11 a.m., Final at 3 p.m. – Max Miller (with Luke Sitz), Zach Welsh (with Misha Andriyuk)
• Women’s 10-Meter Synchro // Prelim at 11 a.m., Final at 3 p.m. – Sophie McAfee (with Katrina Young)
Tuesday, Dec. 16
• Women’s 3-Meter Synchro // Prelims at 11 a.m., Final at 3 p.m.
• Men’s 10-Meter Synchro // Prelims at 11 a.m., Final at 3 p.m. – Jordan Rzepka & Tyler Wills
Rzepka Wins Gold, Worobel Silver at Winter Nationals
Boilermakers win medals in men's 10-meter, women's 1-meter at the USA Diving championships