ANDERSON, Ind. —
It’s been a successful two weeks in Florida for Mary Beth Dunnichay.
But it could get much better today.
The reigning state diving champion from Elwood can earn another trip to China with a victory in the World Championship trials in Tallahassee. Dunnichay and teammate Anna James have more than a 67-point lead over the field as they enter the women’s synchronized platform finals at Florida State University.
“I feel pretty confident,” Dunnichay, who was the youngest U.S. Olympian in Beijing in 2008, said Friday during a phone interview. “I have to go in and hit my dives one last time, and then I can go home.”
Forgive the Elwood senior if she’s grown a little restless in the Sunshine State.
She and James — a 15-year-old wunderkind from Midland, Texas — earned a silver medal last Sunday at the USA Diving Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale. From there, it was on to Tallahassee — where Dunnichay and James have been pulling double duty.
The Texan also is in second place with partner Jessica Parratto, and Dunnichay is in third with teammate Katherine Bell — with whom she won a junior national championship last fall.
The revolving partners have made for a difficult weekend at the trials which began Thursday.
“I’ll do one dive with one partner, get out, dry off and then do the same dive with a different partner,” Dunnichay said. “It’s pretty tiring.”
One thing she hasn’t had to worry about is her surgically reconstructed shoulder. Dunnichay fought through the pain to win national and state championships this winter, and she was expecting soreness in Florida. But the extensive rehabilitation she did throughout the spring seems to have done its job.
“I’m just making sure I don’t fall apart,” she said. “Everything seems to be going my way (health-wise) for a change.”
Rust is another factor all together.
She and James only had a few practices under their belts before winning silver at the Grand Prix. Their score of 280.50 points was just more than six points below Canada’s gold medal winners, Carol-Ann Ware and Pamela Ware.
“We wanted to win,” Dunnichay said. “But for only practicing a few times, we were pretty satisfied. We know we can do better.”
They’ll get the chance to prove it if they hold on at the trials today.
James and Dunnichay have accumulated 585.72 points through two semifinal rounds. James and Parratto are second with 518.04 points, and Dunnichay and Bell rank third with 512.88.
If she and James are fortunate enough to earn the trip to Shanghai, China, for the FINA World Championships in July, Dunnichay is confident they can score well.
“Practice makes perfect,” she said. “We just need more time together.”
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Elwood's Mary Beth Dunnichay USA Diving
Discussion
Dunnichay soaks up success
Elwood diver soaring in Sunshine State
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