GWANGJU, South Korea — University of Miami sophomore Briadam Herrera earned Team USA’s first diving medal at the 2015 World University Games Monday.
Herrera, making his World University Games debut as the lone USA representative for the men’s 1-meter springboard, captured third place with a score of 387.75 at the Nambu University Aquatics Center.
“This was his first opportunity to dive internationally, and it was his first time traveling with USA, so it was such a special thing for him to be able to make that trip,” head coach Randy Ableman said. “And for him to have performed so well, I’m very proud of him.
“He’s been diving so well in practice in that event, I had a feeling he might have a good chance for a medal.”
Herrera, who qualified for the event by finishing eighth in the 1-meter at the 2014 USA Diving Winter National Championships, finished behind China’s Jianfeng Peng (450.40) and Xinghao Zhang (397.10).
Herrera, who became a U.S. citizen last fall, was named an All-American as a freshman with a seventh-place finish in the 1-meter at the 2015 NCAA Championships in Iowa City.
“He dove really consistently and really well,” Ableman said. “It was frustrating not being able to be there with him, but it was nice to see him come through for the USA in his first opportunity to represent the country.”
Ableman said the future is bright for Herrera, who also captured a gold medal in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events at the 2015 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships.
“Bridam has a huge upside. He got a lot better in his freshman year, and he’s hungry,” Ableman said. “I’m hungry for him to continue and make another step in his sophomore year.
“Right now, he’s very proficient on the 1-meter, but we have a lot of work to do in the other events, particularly the 3-meter. We’ve been talking about getting him up on the platform this coming season, so it’s going to be a big year for us.”
Herrera’s medal is one of 29 for Team USA at the Summer Universiade. USA’s 29 medals are third-most behind host South Korea (40, including 19 gold medals) and Japan (43, 13 gold).
The XXVIII Summer Universiade continues through July 14 in Gwangju.
Swimming news courtesy of University of Miami Swimming & Diving.