U.S. Diving Outdoor Championships : Louganis Beats Out Teammates for Title

Greg Louganis outscored teammates Kent Ferguson and Doug Shaffer to win the gold medal in the men’s three-meter event, and Kelly McCormick won the women’s three-meter springboard title Friday in the U.S. Diving Outdoor Championships.

Louganis had 714.69 points in 11 dives to top the field of 12 finalists. Ferguson, the defending three-meter champion, edged Shaffer for second, 674.19 to 672.90. All three are from Boca Raton, Fla., and dive for the Mission Bay Makos team.

It was the 42nd national title for the 27-year-old Louganis, who joined Shaffer in qualifying for the U.S. Pan American team based on a combination of points from the finals and the preliminary round.

“I was beginning to think I was stuck at 41 national titles . . . It’s been a while,” said Louganis, who did not win an event in the indoor championships at Baton Rouge, La., in April.

Shaffer won the gold medal in the men’s one-meter springboard Thursday, while Louganis took the silver. Louganis is the top qualifier for the men’s 10-meter platform finals, which will be held today--along with the women’s 10-meter finals--at Frontier Park Pool.

Louganis did not take the lead until his eighth dive, a reverse 1 1/2 somersault with 3 1/2 twists, for which he was awarded nothing lower than a 9 and a total score of 93.06.

McCormick, who had 552.39 points in 10 dives, held off defending champion Megan Neyer of Boca Raton, who finished with 544.29. Kim Fugett of Columbus, Ohio, was third with 512.70.

The victory gave both McCormick, 27, of Columbus, and Neyer places on the U.S. Pan American team and the national team.

“I made the team. That’s all I wanted to do,” McCormick said.

The two highest scorers in the three-meter and platform competitions will represent the United States in the Pan American Games. The top eight finalists will earn berths on the U.S. national team.