New dive, big result for Nick McCrory

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Nick McCrory, who recently finished sixth at the FINA diving world championships on the platform, debuted a new dive Wednesday at the 2011 AT&T National Diving Championship on Wednesday at the Spieker Aquatics Center at UCLA.

McCrory, from Durham, N.C., qualified for the 12-man platform finals Sunday, with the top score of 497.30 (teammate Dave Boudia qualified sixth but said he may pass on Sunday’s final because of exhaustion, mental and physical, post-worlds) and he was proud of showing off his new dive, 6245D or, as McCrory describes it, a back armstand with two and a half twists.

‘It went really well,’ McCrory said.

McCrory said he’s still fighting the jet lag from the world championships, which ended three weeks ago. ‘I’m still waking up at 5 a.m.,’ he said.

The 20-year-old likes to mention a charity that is particularly special to him. He is active in the Little People of America because his 17-year-old brother Lucas was born with dwarfism. ‘Lucas loves basketball and soccer and has been swimming a little over a year,’ McCrory said. ‘No diving though.’

Steele Johnson, who turned 15 last June, qualified second for the finals. Last year Johnson, who is from Carmel, Ind., finished fourth in the world junior championship.

-- Diane Pucin