AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — ElliReese Niday became one of the youngest champions ever when she won the women’s 10-meter title Thursday at the USA Diving national championships.
The 13-year-old from Moultrie, Georgia, scored 721.40 points to beat Texas sophomore Bayleigh Cranford by 10 points.
“It doesn’t feel real," Niday said. "I just tried to stay focused on my own dives and celebrate after.”
She’s the youngest American diver to win a senior national title in an individual event since 2016, when former Olympian Hailey Hernandez won a 3-meter title at the same age.
“It’s really crazy," Niday said. "Maybe one day when I grow up, I’ll make the Olympic team possibly.”
She led after the semifinals, when she had three dives score over 80 points. Her inward 2 1/2 pike earned perfect 10s from three judges at the meet in Auburn, Alabama. Semifinal scores carried over to the final.
On Thursday, Niday scored over 80 points on two of her five dives.
Niday finished fifth at last year's winter nationals. She’s a seven-time junior national champion and won three gold medals at the 2023 Junior Pan American Championships.
Niday’s mother, Lauryn McCalley Niday, was a standout diver at Tennessee and won national titles in 2000 and 2001 on 3-meter springboard.
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AP Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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