MOULTRIE — Ryan Helms did not qualify for finals on the 3-meter springboard on Thursday at the 2008 USA Diving Spring National in Minneapolis, Minn., but it hardly took any luster off the first national championship of his career the day before.

The Moss Farms diver finished 22nd in the 3-meter prelims on Thursday at the Spring Nationals, being held on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

The top eight qualified for finals and the Olympics Trials.

Helms scored a 304.80 in the event, which was won by the University of Georgia’s Chris Colwill, with a 438.45.

Troy Dumais was second and Jevon Tarantino was third.

Still, Helms will return to Moultrie for his final month of classes at Colquitt County High School after a dominant 1-meter performance on Wednesday.

Helms was second in the prelims, but smoked the field in the finals with a 398.70. Terry Horner, the NCAA champion from Florida State was second, 37 points back at 361.80.

Horner, who was first after the prelims, is familiar with Helms and Moss Farms, having trained in Moultrie about once a week for the last six weeks, Moss Farms Coach Ed Goodman said.

Goodman was unable to be in Minnesota with Helms, who was coached at the meet by Jay Lerew, formerly of Moss Farms.

Helms, who is heading to the University of Tennessee in August, is Goodman’s first national champion.

Goodman kept up with his young diver’s performance via telephone from Helms’ father Michael and his mother Tina.

“That was the best event of his life,” Goodman said. “He was up by 50 points going into his last dive and his easiest dive was his last one.

“I always knew he had it in him. It was just a matter of putting it all together in one event. He never missed a dive on Wednesday.”