an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that would

Julia Vincent may have only been diving for six years, but the rising South Carolina junior already owns a pair of school records, earned All-American honors, and now she can add Olympian to her resume. Vincent will compete for her homeland of South Africa at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.It hasnt really hit me yet, Vincent said. I havent thought about it much because when I come to the pool every day, I dont think about what I am training for; I train to have a good meet. Im excited for it to happen. When I am putting on the gear and ready to go, that might be when it will actually hit me.To win a medal would be the most incredible honor in my life. I havent really thought about that. Im just hoping to have a good meet, and well see if it places me high enough.Vincent has already enjoyed an amazing year after earning All-America honors by finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships on the 1-meter board, and she placed sixth in 1-meter at the SEC Championships. She won the 3-meter diving competition at the 2016 South African Olympic Trials in April to secure her spot on the national team.That day at nationals was a very weird day for me, Vincent said. Ive never been as nervous as I was that day. Getting to the end, and knowing I had a good result and did what I had wanted to do was a surreal feeling. Ive never felt like that before, so it was good to have my family around me.Its everything that I wanted. I knew that I had to win. Ive wanted to win nationals before, but there was so much on the line because if I didnt win, I wouldnt go to the Olympics. I think that would be more nerve wracking, and I think the Olympics will just be fun.South Carolina head diving coach Todd Sherritt is coaching Vincent for what will be his fourth trip to the Olympics having been to Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.It doesnt get old, Sherritt said of coaching in the Olympics. I think Im just as excited as I have ever been with anybody to take Julia because of the way she trains, and she is fun to be around. She is super-talented. She has the physical talent to do it.Despite being the only diver competing for South Africa, and the only female member of the nations swimming and diving team, Vincent isnt putting any extra pressure on herself.I just want to hit every dive the way I was meant to hit it and the way Todd wants me to hit it, Vincent said. If I dont make the semifinal, but I have had a good meet and Im happy with my dives, I will count that as a success.Vincent is somewhat of a newcomer to diving as she grew up competing in other sports such as field hockey, track, and netball. She wasnt exposed to the sport until she went to high school.I did start a little later than most people in diving, Vincent said. I didnt really start thinking about being an Olympian until maybe four years ago, but more specifically it was really when I came here to South Carolina. I told Todd that I wanted to get to the Olympics and asked if he could help get me there.She has a really clear vision, Sherritt said. I think its her drive that has allowed her to catch up with a lot of people. You can out-train everybody, and you can train with everybody, but if you are a visionary, you can get ahead of everybody. I think thats really the key to her. She has a clear vision of what she wants to do with her diving.She really had to punch her way through to make the (national) team. There was nothing easy. She wasnt going to be denied it. It was a nail-biter at the trials. She had to hit her last dive, and she did it.Its that training she received at South Carolina that has helped her develop into an Olympic caliber diver.Just being able to be at a much better training facility with an incredible coach was a big part of it, Vincent said. Todd is an incredible coach. I wouldnt want to go without him. He is able to teach me everything about diving and what I need to do to fix my dives. A lot of it has to do with the amount of training I get to do here, and the amount of support I get from my teammates and coaches.I think she has improved in her head a lot, Sherritt said. Being able to stay focused is a big deal for her. Just believing in her head that she can do these things, and her ability to make corrections is huge. She has made amazing changes mechanically. Her mental vision has really grown since she has been here.When she is standing on the diving board, Vincent clears her thoughts and has one thing on her mind.I think a lot about how I can execute exactly what Todd wants me to execute, Vincent said. Most of the time I know whether I hit the dive once I hit the water. It just depends on the dive. Sometimes I will know as soon as I leave the board that its going to be a good one. Other times, Ill be pleasantly surprised when I come up.Shaking off a bad dive is a lot harder than moving on from a good dive. It depends on the situation. If the dive is not going to have a huge effect on where you are going to be placed, I just move on. The hardest is knowing you have to hit the dives you have left when you didnt hit the one before. It can be very difficult.While she is tremendously excited about her Olympic opportunity and will likely be a little nervous, Vincent has already competed against many who will be competing in Rio.Weve competed against each other at world championship meets and World Cups, Vincent said. Ive seen them dive, and I know the level I am going up against. It will be a little less intimidating because it wont really be a new field of divers. It will be good going in because I wont be as nervous.Its just a matter of time before she is one of the top divers in the world, Sherritt added. Theres no question about it. The judges love that person that comes out of nowhere. International judges really want to see style. So were doing that with her, and I think that combination with her power, quickness and explosiveness makes me really excited. Her personality really comes through in her diving.When she is not in the pool, Vincent is looking forward to checking out other competitions and sites in Rio.I want to experience the Olympic atmosphere as a whole instead of just swimming and diving, Vincent said. It will be nice to be able to go and support South Africa in other sports and watch other records be broken. I think I really want to watch some of the track events. I want to watch (Jamaican sprinter) Usain Bolt run. I want to go see as many sports as I can.That will likely include seeing some of her Gamecock teammates competing for their home countries as well, including swimmer Akaram Mahmoud, who will swim for Egypt.Thats probably the part I am most excited about because I get to watch them train every day, Vincent said. I know how much work they put in. I know what it means to them to be representing their countries.With the diving events normally held somewhat early in the Olympic Games, Vincent is also looking forward to taking in other sites when she is done competing.Luckily, I have been to Rio before so I know where I want to go again, Vincent said. Ill definitely explore more of the beaches and find more tourist attractions because it is such a beautiful place to be. I will probably go to the Christ the Redeemer again. Thats the massive statue in the middle of it all. Just to explore and see whats out there will be fun. Air Jordan 4 Discount . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Cheap Air Jordan 4 Retro . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. http://www.airjordan4discount.com/ . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Cheap Air Jordan 4 . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Authentic Air Jordan 4 For Sale . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. MILWAUKEE -- For seven innings, the Milwaukee Brewers couldnt hit with runners in scoring position.The last two innings they couldnt hit. Period.Brandon Finnegan pitched five scoreless innings, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-2 victory over the Brewers on Sunday.Finnegan (10-11) scattered three hits and struck out four, needing only 54 pitches to get through five innings. The Brewers were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position, and their final seven batters struck out to end the game.We got some opportunities, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.The Brewers have struck out 1,487 times this year. With six games remaining, they are closing in on the 2013 Houston Astros major league record of 1,535 strikeouts.Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth for his fourth save in five chances, striking out Chris Carter, Hernan Perez and Orlando Arcia.Seven punch outs to end the game, Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said. Good intensity. Thats what you want to see at the end of a season on a team thats got 90 losses.Carter has 38 home runs, but has struck out 199 times to lead the Brewers. He was with Houston in 2013, striking out 212 times that season.Ryan Braun had a triple and a single, and was given a standing ovation by the Miller Park crowd during his final at-bat in the eighth inning, and again after he struck out. He has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate during the offseason as the Brewers continue to rebuild.The love and support Ive received here is more than any athlete could ever hope to get from any fan base, Braun said. The people here, at least most of them, recognized that theres a chance that this was my last home game as a Brewer. I dont think theres a great chance but theres certainly a higher chance than theres been at any other point during my 10 years here. Ive always appreciated that support. It means a lot to me.Milwaukee starteer Wily Peralta (7-11) pitched six innings, allowing three runs -- two earned -- on five hits and three walks while striking out five.dddddddddddd Banished to the minors on June 12 after a poor start, Peralta returned in August and has made nine starts, going 3-4 with a 3.23 ERA in his second stint with the team.After falling behind 4-0, the Brewers scored twice in the seventh off Jumbo Diaz, with Perez scoring on a throwing error by catcher Ramon Cabrera. Yadiel Riveras groundout then scored Arcia to make it 4-2.Before the game, Counsell discussed the death of Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, killed early Sunday morning in a boating accident.He had Hall of Fame-level talent, Counsell said. It felt like Jose could last a long time, be a part of that for a long time, be the face of the Marlins a long time, which obviously makes it difficult.ATTENDANCE DOWNIt was the final home game for the Brewers, who drew 2,314,614 fans, down 9 percent from 2,542,558 a year ago. Milwaukee went 41-40 at home and is 29-46 on the road.TRAINERS ROOMReds: Finnegan took a line drive from Perez off his right knee in the second. He threw a few pitches before facing the next batter to make sure he was all right. ... Price said it was improbable that RHP Homer Bailey would pitch again this season. He has been out four weeks with right biceps tenderness.Brewers: C Martin Maldonado returned to the starting lineup after going through concussion protocol. He took a hard foul off his mask on Thursday.UP NEXTReds: Tim Adleman (2-4) will pitch Monday night as Cincinnati opens a four-game series at St. Louis, which is vying for an NL wild-card spot.Brewers: Matt Garza (5-8) will make his 19th start of the year at Texas in an interleague game Monday night. ' ' '