Krysta Palmer earns spot on national squad

INDIANAPOLIS — Senior diver Krysta Palmer of Carson City competed at the 2015 USA Diving Winter National Championships at the IUPUI Natatorium this weekend, placing eighth on platform to earn a spot on the U.S. Diving National Team.

In a field featuring the country’s top divers and Olympic hopefuls, Palmer — the reigning Mountain West Diver of the Year — placed eight out 68 competitors with 887.35 total points on platform. Palmer sat in 10th place entering the finals round before surpassing two competitors in finals to place eighth and earn a spot on the national team.

“My goal coming into this was to place in the top eight because I knew that was the national team cutoff, so I’m really excited right now,” said Palmer. “It’s a little funny – I’ve only been diving for exactly three years now and everybody out here is asking, ‘where did this girl come from?’ It’s been really fun to meet everyone here, perform well and put my name out there.”

Palmer opened the meet with 277.65 points in the platform preliminary round, placing eighth overall as the top 18 advanced to semifinals. Palmer then scored a 278.35 in the semifinal round to bring her cumulative score to 556.00, sitting in 10th place as the top 12 advanced to finals.

Palmer faced pressure in the finals round, needing to advance two positions to be a part of the top eight that are entered to the U.S. Diving National Team. Palmer came through clutch with a remarkable score of 331.35 – the second-highest among all finalists in that round – to bring her cumulative total to 887.35 points and place eighth.

Palmer performed five dives from 10 meters in each platform round. She opened with a back two-and-a-half somersault, one-and-a-half twist pike followed by a forward three-and-a half somersault pike. Then she performed an inward three-and-a-half somersault tuck, followed by an arm stand back two somersault, one-and-a-half twist free. Palmer’s final dive was a back three-and-a-half somersault tuck.