Bell, Livingston lead after platform semifinals at AT&T National Diving Championships

Tallahassee, Fla. - Drew Livingston (The Woodlands, Texas) and Katie Bell (Columbus, Ohio) turned in the top scores in the men's and women's platform semifinals Friday to lead the field of divers advancing to this weekend's finals at the AT&T National Diving Championships.

Livingston scored 503.85 points, highlighted by a 100.30-point effort on his reverse 3 ½ that earned 10s from three judges, to lead the men's contest. Thomas Finchum (Indianapolis, Ind.) turned in the second-highest score with 458.40 points, 89.10 of which came after 9s on his back 3 ½ tuck. Wes Wieser (Chesterfield, Mo.) scored 453.80 points for third. The top 12 divers advance to Sunday's finals.

Bell scored 305.10 points in the women's platform semifinals to lead the field of 12 divers advancing to Saturday's finals. Cosima Lenz (Altadena, Calif.) qualified second at 299.15, followed by 2009 spring national champion Michelle Cabassol (Montgomery, Texas) at 297.15.

The AT&T National Diving Championships continue through August 16. Saturday's competition features men's 3-meter finals, women's 10-meter finals, men's 3-meter synchro finals and women's 10-meter synchro finals. The first event is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.

Also on Saturday, fans are invited to get autographs and meet a number of top USA Diving athletes. From 10:30-11 a.m., Olympian Christina Loukas and Junior Pan Am gold medalist Steele Johnson will sign autographs. AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix gold medalist Allison Brennan and Junior Pan Am champion Kassidy Cook will sign autographs from 11:55 a.m.-12:25 p.m., and Olympians Thomas Finchum and Kelci Bryant will sign from 1:10-1:40 p.m.

Autograph sessions are also planned for Sunday. Olympian Haley Ishimatsu will be available from 10:30-11 a.m. Olympians Chris Colwill and Jevon Tarantino and 2009 World Championship team member Terry Horner will sign from 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m., and Junior World Championships medalists Kaylea Arnett and Michelle Cabassol will be available from 1:10-1:40 p.m.

About USA Diving: Featuring America's best divers, USA Diving is the national governing body for the sport of diving. Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Diving offers diversified programs geared toward the broadest number of diving enthusiasts, from the novice to the world champion. USA Diving conducts approximately 40 regional and national events annually and is responsible for training and selecting teams that represent the United States at international events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cup. For additional information please call Jennifer Lowery at (317) 237-5252 or visit www.usadiving.org <http://www.usadiving.org/> .

Tags: AT&T National Diving Championships, Diving, Drew Livingston, Katie Bell