July 13, 2015
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TORONTO — University of Iowa graduate Deidre Freeman and University of Texas’ Maren Taylor teamed up to claim the bronze medal in the 3-meter synchronized diving competition at the 2015 Pan American Games.
Freeman and Taylor finished with 293.10 points, third behind Mexico’s Paola Espinosa and Dolores Hernandez (301.20) and Canada’s Jennifer Abel and Pamela Ware (298.23).
“I couldn’t be more pleased, especially after the 3-meter last night,” said UI diving coach Todd Waikel, a Team Leader for Team USA. “She regrouped after not as strong of performance as we would have hoped, came back strong and determined today, and it showed. I am proud of her accomplishments.”
Freeman and Taylor’s score was their career best in an international competition, topping their previous best of 286.80 from the 2014 FINA Canada Cup. The Pan Am bronze was their third international bronze medal together, having also won bronze at the 2014 Canada Cup and 2014 Malaysia Grand Prix.
The Americans were in second place after round three, when they scored 69.30 points on their back 2 ½ pike. The Canadians overtook them in the fourth round when they scored 73.47 points on a front 3 ½ pike, while Freeman and Taylor received 62.10 points on a reverse 2 ½ pike to move to third. They held onto the bronze medal spot with 65.70 points on their final dive, a front 2 ½ with one twist.
“We were consistent, and that’s what we strive for,” said Taylor. “These are some good teams, and we’re proud we stayed close to them in the scores. Deidre and I don’t live in the same place, so we don’t get to practice together as often as some other teams do, but we have similar styles so that helps.”
