DIVING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Jeffrey, Richetelli Finish Well to Win Titles

Only 0.03 points separated David Pichler and Patrick Jeffrey going into the last dive in the Phillips 66 national platform championships at USC on Sunday.

Less than six points separated Eileen Richetelli and Veronica Ribot-Canales in the women’s three-meter finals.

Yet none of the participants knew where they stood in the standings, nor how many points they would need to win a national championship.

“Everybody’s diving really doesn’t affect each other,” Jeffrey said. “It’s not like tennis, when someone is hitting a 100-m.p.h. serve. You are in control and all that stuff (the score) is irrelevant.”

Jeffrey made it that way when the splash on his final dive, a back 1 1/2 somersault with 3 1/2 twists in the free position, was not as pronounced as that of Pichler, his onetime teammate at Ohio State.

Pichler, who executed the same dive, drew scores in the 6-7 range.

“My head was not in line with my arms,” he said.

Before the dive, his mind raced back to the HTH Classic when, in his words, he “choked” on his last two dives.

“I knew it was close and I knew I needed to do a great dive,” he said. “When I feel pressure I let it take control of me. That’s why I try not to know the score.”

Jeffrey scored 5.76 points more on his final dive, winning his second national title, 565.02-559.29 over Pichler.

“I was all lined up, but I felt like Shamu when I hit the water,” Jeffrey said. “I didn’t know if I’d get 2s or 10s.”

Richetelli’s last dive, an inward 2 1/2 somersault, netted 56.70 points, only 1.2 more than Ribot-Canales’ final effort, but enough for her first national title.

“I’ve won some (four) NCAA titles, but this is the most important title,” the Stanford senior said. “I’ve always wanted to win (U.S.) nationals. I’m happy I was able to hold it together.”

Richetelli withstood the pressure despite the absence of her coach, Rich Schavone.

Although Schavone was away at a wedding, Richetelli remembered his favorite phrase--”the hay is in the barn.”

“It’s just a reminder that I’ve done all the work in practice, all I have to do is dive,” said Richetelli, who took the lead in the seventh round with a clean entry on her back 2 1/2 somersault.

The top two divers from each board will represent the United States in the Alamo Challenge against China, Russia and Germany, Aug. 27-28 at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center in Pasadena.

Veronica Ribot-Canales celebrated her inclusion on the team by wearing red, white and blue stars-and-stripes tennis shoes to the awards ceremony.

“It is my destiny to wear them,” she said. “I love anything star-spangled. I want to set myself up to wear star-spangled.”

It is the first time Ribot-Canales, 31, will represent the United States in international competition. A three-time Olympian for Argentina, she gained U.S. citizenship in September of 1991, partly to gain eligibility to dive in the highly competitive U.S. nationals.

“For some reason even though I’m getting older, I’m getting better,” she said. “I’m more focused in my training. So I figured why not dive for the United States if I’m getting better? I wanted to challenge myself more. I thought, ‘What would it be like to dive in an Olympic trials?’

“The way it has been, people say, ‘She’s there (in the Olympics) because she’s Argentinian. She didn’t have to go through trials.’ ”

Ribot-Canales was born in Argentina and raised in Bermuda. She moved to Miami, her current home, when she was 15.

“I feel more and more American,” she said. “I know the words to the (U.S.) anthem, but I don’t know the Argentinian anthem. I want to hear the (U.S.) anthem played for me.”

Ribot-Canales’ highest Olympic finish is eighth on platform at Barcelona last summer.

Diving Notes

Along with Veronica Ribot-Canales on three-meter, the U.S. team for the Alamo Challenge is: Carrie Zarse, Melisa Moses, Mark Lenzi and Dean Panaro on one-meter. Eileen Richetelli, Mark Bradshaw and Lenzi on three-meter and Richetelli, Mary Ellen Clark, Patrick Jeffrey, and David Pichler on platform. . . . By a vote of divers, Richetelli won the Phillips Performance award. She also earned the high-point award for scoring the most points on all three boards. Pichler was the men’s high-point winner. By a vote of coaches, Randy Ableman of the University of Miami won the coaches’ excellence award. Ft. Lauderdale won the team title with 228 points. The University of Miami was second (160) and Kimball Divers finished third (126). . . . Scott Donie, the 1992 Olympic platform silver medalist, was among the spectators at the men’s platform final. He decided not to compete in the platform although he was able to dive in the one- and three-meter competition.