Hokie ClubINDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Former Virginia Tech diver Ryan Hawkins and junior diver Thomas Shinholser will compete for a place on the United States Olympic Team at the Olympic Team Diving Trials in Indianapolis June 18-26.
Hawkins will be competing in the synchronized 10-meter with partner Toby Stanley and in the men’s 10-meter event. Shinholser will be competing in the 3-meter springboard. Hawkins will dive first on Sunday in the 10-meter synchronized event while Shinholser's first event will be on Monday in the 3-meter.
Shinholser was the first Tech freshman diver to become an All-American as he earned the distinction during the 2013-14 season. He earned an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in the platform event with a score of 316.10. He also placed fifth at the ACC Championships that season and earned All-ACC Academic Honors. In 2014-15, he earned bronze at the ACC Championships in the platform event.
“Thomas has been working very hard and I’m looking forward to seeing him get out there and have a strong performance in this extremely prestigious event. I know it can only help him as he heads into his junior year,” said Virginia Tech head diving coach Ron Piemonte.
At Virginia Tech, Hawkins was a seven-time All-American. He earned four All-American honors and three All-American Honorable Mention honors. He was also the 2012 ACC Champion in the platform event.
Hawkins has already represented the United States on an international level as he competed in the Pan American Games last summer in Canada. Hawkins and his partner, Zach Cooper, finished fifth in the finals of the men’s 10-meter synchronized dive at the Pan American Games. He competed against divers from North and South America and the pair finished with a final score of 348.39. It was the first time Hawkins and Cooper had competed together internationally.
“Ryan trained with me though last summer’s USA Diving Nationals. He has since moved to Ft. Lauderdale where he is working for an architecture firm full-time, as well as continuing to train for the trails. It will be great to see him and I’m confident that he will be looking very good,” said Piemonte.
Scores will be cumulative over three lists of dives (preliminaries, semifinals and finals). The top team in each of the men’s synchronized 3-meter, men’s synchronized 10-meter and women’s synchronized 10-meter events will be selected to the U.S. Olympic Team. In the individual events, the top two finishers in the men’s 3-meter, men’s 10-meter and women’s 10-meter events and the top finisher in the women’s 3-meter event will be named to the team.