Three months ago Hailey Hernandez won her fourth straight UIL 6A girls' state championship in the 1-meter dive. Saturday, she qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The 18-year-old Southlake Carroll High School product finished second in the women's 3-meter springboard at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis on Saturday. The top two finishers earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.
Following the Olympics, Hernandez will continue her career at the University of Texas.
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Recently retired Carroll High School diving coach Carolyn Hryorchuk has known Hernandez her entire life and coached her throughout high school.
She said she was a bundle of nerves watching Hernandez achieve a life-long goal.
"I was just screaming on all the dives," Hryorchuk said. "I was just sitting there shaking. And I was just in tears [thinking], 'She's going to the Olympics. She's going.'"
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Hernandez was one of four divers who earned Olympic berths on the U.S. team for Tokyo.
Krysta Palmer earned a second spot on the U.S. Olympic diving team, finishing first in women's 3-meter springboard.
Palmer and partner Alison Gibson earlier made the team in women's 3-meter synchro.
Brandon Loschiavo won the men's 10-meter with 1,421 points. Jordan Windle finished second at 1,401.40 to earn a spot in Tokyo.
Palmer totaled 1,011.95 points, well ahead of Hernandez's 926.55. Palmer had a large enough lead going into her final dive that she was assured of making the team regardless. She proceeded to hit the most difficult dive of the competition, a forward 2 1/2 somersault with two twists pike for 81.60 points.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
