June 20, 2012

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — South Carolina diver Rylan Ridenour finished 22nd in the three-meter springboard preliminaries with a six-dive score of 305.8 at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials on Wednesday at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.

Ridenour, a rising senior, fell just short of qualifying for the semifinals, as only the top 18 individuals advance. He finished the day 36.1 points out of the 18th spot.

“Rylan had a great start today putting in his first two dives for sevens and eights,” South Carolina diving coach Todd Sherritt said. “For his first Olympic Trials, I thought he did a great job. If he continues in the sport after he graduates, he will be a contender in the 2016 trials. The pressure here is incredible. This was a great experience for him.”

A native of Lebanon, Ind., Ridenour had a strong season for the Gamecocks, earning SEC Diver of the Week honors on two occasions. He had 10 individual wins on the year with the highlight of his season coming against East Carolina in January as he shattered the school record on the three-meter board with a score of 427.43.

Ridenour was the lone South Carolina diver remaining in the competition, as recent graduate Courtney Forcucci was unable to advance on Tuesday night in the women’s three-meter semifinals.

The Gamecocks have 10 current swimmers set to compete next week at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, which run June 25-July 2 in Omaha, Neb.