U.S. Olympic Festival Roundup : Louganis Is Nearly Perfect, Wins Springboard

DURHAM, N.C. — Greg Louganis continued his domination of diving at the U.S. Olympic Festival, winning his fifth consecutive springboard gold medal Saturday on the first full day of competition.

The victory made Louganis, 27, of Malibu, the all-time top gold medal winner in the Festival with 11. He had shared the record with speedskater Bonnie Blair, who is not competing this year.

In the women’s springboard, Wendy Lucero of Boca Raton, Fla., scored a surprise victory and also set a Festival record for number of points in beating 1982 champion Megan Neyer of Gainesville, Fla. Two-time defending champion Michele Mitchell of Deerfield Beach, Fla., was third.

Louganis, who has won all but two of the Festival’s men’s diving titles since 1979, earned 13 perfect scores in his 11 rounds. Saturday, he had six perfect marks of 10 and one 9.0. He clinched the victory with a superb final dive, a forward 3 1/2 somersault from the pike position.

“It’s always nice to go out that way,” Louganis said. “I felt good, I felt strong on that dive . . . and I’m pleased with my score.”

Kent Ferguson, who is Louganis’ roommate when they are training in Florida, was second Saturday by more than 60 points.

Lucero, the national women’s one-meter springboard champion in 1984 and ‘85, compiled 537.17 points on the three-meter board, smashing the Festival record of 525.78 points set by Mitchell in 1985. Neyer had 501.66 points, Mitchell 493.47.

Jessie Grieco, a 13-year-old cyclist from Emerson, N.J., became the youngest female to win a Festival cycling competition when she raced away from three other riders on the final lap to take the 50-kilometer road race through the streets of Raleigh.

The men’s 100-kilometer road race was won by Richard Hincapie of Farmingdale, N.Y.

J.R. Reid, playing on his home floor at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, scored 20 points as the South defeated the West, 90-71, in men’s basketball. In the night’s other game, the North beat the East, 84-70, as Terry Mills scored 18 points.

In women’s basketball, Daedra Charles scored 22 points as the North beat the East, 74-63, and the West, with a 52-32 rebounding edge, beat the South, 74-64.

Dennis and Duane Koslowski shut out their opponents in the decisive matches to win gold medals in Greco-Roman wrestling as well as berths on the Pan American and World Cup teams.

Dennis Koslowski of St. Paul, Minn., defeated James Johnson of Mesa, Ariz., in the first 220-pound match by disqualification after Johnson was cautioned for illegal use of his legs.

Duane Koslowski of Brooklyn Park, Minn., scored a 1-0 victory at 286 pounds over Craig Pittman of Dumfries, Va., for his gold medal.

In men’s archery, Jay Barrs of Mesa, Ariz., held a three-point lead over two-time Olympic gold medalist Darrell Pace after two rounds. Barrs won at 90 meters with 311 points to 303 for Pace, of Hamilton, Ohio. Then Pace, the 1976 and ’84 Olympic champion who won golds at the 1978, ’81 and ’85 Festivals, took the 70-meter event with a 326 score. Barrs had 632 total points, Pace 629.